Hello, I am 4 and 1/2 months out of treatment -- had unknown primary and one lymph node, neck resection on right side, cisplatin + 30 rounds of IMRT -- finished treatments on 1/11/08. Have little unstimulated saliva, but do well with citric-acid gum to produce saliva; salagen didn't do much, evoxac seems to help with stimulated saliva, but not unstimulated ...

Last week my radiation oncologist told me that should I not see improvements in saliva function at 6 months, there was little chance it would ever get better; she was basing her comment on new results from Mass General. My medical oncologist and surgeon didn't agree -- the surgeon, who performed a submandibular gland transfer on me, told me in fact that improvement really beings at 6 moths.

Am just curious: have others out there heard of the 6 month threshold after which saliva function would not return?

Many thanks,

All best, William