| | Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 16 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 16 | Just got results from pathology. Negative margins from gum, bone, and nerve. Yea!
Meeting with doctor next Thursday to discuss next steps. I'm pretty sure the topic of radiation will come up, as an 'extra' level of safety that the cancer will not re-occur. I'm sure I don't radiation.
Here's my question: Anybody have any pro/cons on radiation, whether it was needed or not, and re-occurrence for both rad and non-rad.
"Happy for results"
Chris the Hokie Fan - BEAT BAMA!
Dx - Age 50, SCC 7/26/13 R lower gum
8/6/13 Diagnosis - T1N0M0
8/23/13 5 teeth and tissue removed
Under recovery, next appt 9/12
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 | It depends on how thick the tumor was. For T-1, T2, N0, the next step could be a neck dissection, some just have radiation, and no surgery.
10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil
11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp
01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks
06/11 30 HBO
08/11 RND PNI
06/12 SND PNI LVI
08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy
10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux
10/13 SND
10/13 TBO/Angiograph
10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI
12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo
11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO
03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN
09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy
04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site
06/17 Heart Attack Stent
02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,293 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,293 Likes: 1 | [quote]Here's my question: Anybody have any pro/cons on radiation, whether it was needed or not, and re-occurrence for both rad and non-rad.[/quote]None of us are doctors and none of us have your full case history in hand. First, find medical doctors whom you trust then take their advice and recommendations.
We could debate the topic of radiation all day but you could not take a word of it to the bank. Only your doctors can have a meaningful debate about your case in specific. And radiation is far to critical a treatment to be influenced much by what you get here.
Don Male, 57 - Great health except C Dec '12 DX: BOT SCC T2N2bMx, Stage 4a, HPV+, multiple nodes 1 tooth out Jan '13 2nd tooth out Tumor Board -induction TPF (3 cycles), seq CRT 4-6/2013 CRT 70gr 2x35, weekly carbo150 ended 5/29,6/4 All the details, join at http://beatdown.cognacom.com | | | | | Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 | Hi Chris -- just want to add that I would also get a second opinion at this post-surgical junction. Even if you are already working with a top medical institution, consider talking to a 2nd if your insurance allows. After my surgery, I consulted two top doc teams and got surprisingly different recommendations for chemo and radiation. By listening to each team's view of my risk factors I was able to decide what I wanted to do.
I was sure I didn't want chemo, but after hearing one team's assessment of my risks I decided it was worth the side effects.
Good luck!
If you think you don't want radiation, make sure you understand exactly why and then ask your docs' opinion on your concerns.
53
T3N2aM0 HPV+
5/26/13 discovered painless superball-sized lymph node in neck
6/26/13 DX SCC R palatine tonsil
7/16/13 TORS tonsillectomy & selective ND, mets to 2 nodes
9/3/13 Cisplatin and rads begin, tolerated 1.5 of 3 planned chemo doses
10/16/13 Treatment ends
Dec 13 Ulcer appears at surgery site
Jan 17 Biopsy -- no cancer!
Feb 17 CT/PET Scan lights up tonsil bed & nasal cavity, docs say probably inflammation, don't panic, rescan when ulcer subsides
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2013 Posts: 17 Member | | Member
Joined: Sep 2013 Posts: 17 | Great news on the biopsies. If you are not currently at a teaching hospital which is known for treating head and neck cancers, I would try to get a referall to one in your area. I would then get their opinion on next steps. Those cancer centers work in teams that have surgeons, radiation oncologists, oncologists, etc. who meet as a tumor board to make recommendations for treatment. It sound like you had a pretty good sized tumor. I had similar treatment and they did not radiate initially but it came back two months later in the same area. I then did 7.5 weeks of twice a day radiation which was no fun believe me. My biggest fear was that I would have no more saliva which did happen. But I have found that I just carry a bottle of water with me all the time and it is not a big problem. I also had some bad side effects from the treatment which required additional treatment so there are downsides to it. The good news is that in my case that radiation treatment made me cancer free for the next 19 years. Good luck.
In 1994 I found a 3cm tumor on my right tonsil. After 3 rounds of chemo, I underwent a radical neck dissection with a peck flap. I had a reoccurance which required twice a day radiation treatments and then had 19 years cancer free. I then found a very small tumor on my right tonsil. It was removed. Then I found a 1 cm mass near the base of my tongue on the left side. I had two partial glossectomys with bad margins and then then underwent Brachytherapy.
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