My sister was just diagnosed with invasive tongue cancer. I have had breast cancer so we are quite concerned. She lives in Clearwater, FL and I want her to go to the Moffit Cancer Center. She's had lesions for 20 years but never invasive cancer. On Friday she had a procedure to remove more lesions but the surgeon found cancer in lymph nodes and now has her scheduled for more extensive surgery Feb 4. Unfortunately her doctor has left town for the week and we can't get more info but it sounds like he's planning a glossectomy and told her to expect rads and chemo.
It sounds like Andy Trotti is a well respected RO at Moffit. Does anyone have a recomendation for a surgeon there also? I'd like her to at least talk to another doctor before such major surgery. Any info would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

You will no doubt hear quickly from davidcpa, who was treated at Moffitt and should get a finder's fee for all the times he has recommended it. Look for his posts, or send him a message (info in his profile).

And welcome to OCF -- the best place around for information and support. Encourage your sister to sign on as well. Everyone here has been there, done that and gotten the T-shirt, either as a patient or as a caregiver.

KC,

We are Moffitt people as well. We saw Dr. Judith McCaffrey(surgeon)as well as Dr. Trotti(RO)on our first visit there for a second opinion. While we chose to have Bill's treatment locally (with Moffitt's blessings) Bill continues to see Dr. McCaffrey for checkups quarterly and we are well pleased with her. She is thorough, kind, very clear and concise when she talks and well respected.

When I called Moffitt to set up the initial visit, they were very quick to give us an appointment so I was pleased with the infrastructure that made that possible. Moffitt is a very warm and caring place..everyone there treats us in the most kind way.

Good luck. If you need further information, please post or IM me or David.

Deb

Hi there! I live in Jacksonville and was also treated at Moffitt by Dr. Judith McCaffrey. I was also seen by Dr. Rao, a radiation oncologist at Moffitt. I chose to have the radiation here in Jacksonville, though. Dr. Rao helped me get that lined up with a local radiation oncologist and contacted him directly to discuss my case.
After my biopsy came back positive, I was initially referred to a head/neck surgeon at Shands Jacksonville. His plan was to do extensive surgery including removing my lower jaw and reconstruction. I decided to get a 2nd opinion from Moffitt. Dr. McCaffrey did not feel it was necessary to remove my lower jaw at all-- just the lining, which was negative for any cancer cells. That was huge in my book! Dr. McCaffrey is very straight forward and easy to talk to.

The David referred to above helped me get in to Moffitt--great resource!!

Good luck to you! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions I can answer.

I got to Moffitt as well and have been a patient there since 2001. My surgeon there since I started is Dr. Tapan Padhya. I also see Dr. Trotti(RO).

if she had lesions on her tongue and it's now found in her lymph nodes, i would be shocked if some of those lesions that have been removed didn't have cancer in them.

I hope they get things figured out asap.
But I had stage 3 on my tongue and in one lymph node, i had to have a hemiglossectomy, which means the removed the right half of my tongue, and a neck dissection, plus 30 rad treatments. So it is entirely possible they will do surgery and adjunctive (rad or chemo) therapy. Haven't heard of a person yet who had tongue cancer that didn't have surgery first and then maybe rad or chemo. but hope whatever happens, they get it figured out. Second opinions never hurt when it comes to something as big as this and as life changing as surgery or treatment in general is.