Hi! I am so glad I found this group where so many concerns/issues seem similar to mine.

My mom lives in Bombay, India. When she was 58 (she just had her 59th birthday on the 8th of April), was diagnosed with SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA GRADE 2 CANINE REGION in September 2002. She had surgery in Sep '02 where the right part of the upper mandibular region was removed. She underwent radiation (about 32 sittings) between Oct and Dec 2002. She has always been very brave about the whole thing. Even her recovery seemed to be going well. Of course, there was the initial pain and discomfort from surgery. However, she withstood the effects of radiation pretty well. In fact, she took such good care of her nutririon, that she never lost any weight.

Things were going really well and she was working with dentists for getting a prosthesis fitted, when, in February, she noticed a lump on the side of her neck. After a biopsy and CT scan, it was discovered that the cancer had returned and spread to the lymph nodes (on both sides of the neck). We were all shattered!!

Her doctors outlined a course of Chemo and radiation for her. She had her first dose of chemo about 3 weeks ago, where she spent 4 days in the hospital and chemo was given through IV. She came home for a rest period of 3 weeks and is now back and currently undergoing the 2nd 4-day dosing. After this, they'll probably do radiation.

One of the main questions we had as soon as the recurrnece was diagnosed, was, why wasnt surgery being done to remove the affected lymph nodes. When I talked to her doctor, he said that since lymph nodes on both sides were affected, surgery couldnt be done. To my layperson's mind, this was still not good enough an explanation but I pushed it to the back burner for the time being. So for now, the doctors are going to do the chemo-radiation combo and see how things go.

Needless to say, our lives have changed forever. My mom was a normal, healthy human being, and DEFINITELY not in any of the high risk groups. So we went through the periods of "why did this have to happen to her", to helping her deal with surgery and radiation, to optimism and joy at her seeming quick recovery, to shock and grief at the recurrence. We are now focussing on trying to do everything we can, emotionally and medically. My sister (who lives in Chicago) and I just feel so frustrated, being so far away in the US and not being able to be there or make frequent trips to be with them, having our own families here to tend to. I did visit her twice, once in Sep during surgery and again in Dec. My father has been my mom strongest support. He himself is just recovering from the death of his mother, who had been a great support to them. She passed away suddenly, of a heart attack, only 3 weeks before the recurrence was discovered. Well! I guess misfortunes never come singly!

Doctors in India tend to mollycoddle the patients and not give them the whole story. So they havent been given any numbers as far as prognosis for survival. I guess the recurrence pushes her cancer from a stage II to a stage IV. How bad is this really? Is not doing a neck dissection an acceptable or justifiable (or non-justifiable) course of action. Would doing neck dissection on one of the sides to get atleast some of the lymph nodes be an option?

I would appreciate feedback from those of you who have had a similar case history and from anyone else that can help me with information. Not being the patient myself, I may not be able to contribute much to this forum in terms of experiences of a cancer patient, but I will try to help wherever I can.

Hi daughter, (I don't like that your distressed) Your mother is fortunate to have you looking out for her. I can't second guess her doctors but I have heard of bilateral neck dissection being done so it is possible. You didn't say if her previous radiation included her neck. If it did that may be why they don't want to do surgery. (surgery is more challenging and healing is slower when the sugery area has been radiated previously)

I personally don't like statistics because they arent real when applied to one person (how does a person live less than 100%) just seek the best advice from her doctors and perhaps inquire if they would send her information to a specialist in your area for review. Ask a lot of questions and ask for help.

I would wonder if they have looked for a second primary tumor site, one that was missed the first time around. This kind of cancer can be sneaky.

There is ALWAYS hope!

Hi Mark, thanks for you reply. I realised I had not signed off with my name, so I've rectified it. (So people dont have to call me distressed daughter all the time )

CT scans have been done of the brain and the lungs, and they seem clear (Thank Goodness!) Her previous radiation treatment might have included the neck, I'm not sure. But thanks for the input, I'll check on that, and thanks for giving me hope.

Viju

Welcome Viju,

We are glad you found this site, too. There is a wealth of knowledge on this message board and especially in the search engines and sitemaps.

I can't answer any of the technical questions about the surgery, but I can agree with you that the statistics are scary. But, not everyone is a statistic, we are all different. There are many stage IV survivors on this board, plus you may even hear from some people who have experienced recurrances, they come here to help others.

Your mother sounds like one strong woman, she has handled everything so well from your description...and I'll bet she continues to handle this new challenge with strength and purpose.

You take care, and remember "cancer is a word, not a sentence".

Keep us posted when you can.
Dinah