I'm so glad I found this site.

My husband (64 YO) was just diagnosed with a condition called severe dysplasia, squamous cell carcinoma in-situ, of the vocal cord. We just went for a second opinion at Mayo Clinic and the pathologist's report claims that there is suspicious invasion.

The surgeon suggested another biopsy that would dig further and tell us if it is a true cancer. We discussed the various treatment and it seems that 7 weeks of radiation will do the least amount of damage to the vocal cords. My husband dosen't think another biopsy is worth it. He said let's just treat it. I agree.

I'm leaning toward IMRT Radiation because I had some bad reprocussions from my radiation treatment(a few years ago) that damaged the sounding area (under arm area). IMRT treatment can target his vocal cord better than conventional radiation. IMRT was not mentioned by either otolaryngologist, until I brought it up.

Has someone out there had IMRT radiation? Would you recommend it? Does it matter? Is it worth it? What do you suggest I research.

Thanks.
Squamous cell carcinoma, of the vocal cord dx 10/03/05. Waiting for an appointment with a Radiation Onc.

Welcome to this forum. You will find lots of good help and support here.

You might want to use the search utility on this site and do a search on IMRT. There are many members that have had this kind of radiation and there has been quite a bit of discussion about the pros and cons, etc.

My own husband had conventional radiation - IMRT wasn't available at the rural hospital where he was treated.

Wishing you the best as you make your way through this.
Anita

Apachecat, welcome to the board, I found them just after diagnosis, and these guys are a wealth of knowledge and compassion and encouragement. You can get info and vent all at the same time.how cool is THAT? There are a few recent posts regarding IMRT tomography listed on ths board, and the impression is that the radiation is more focused and less likely to cause peripheral burns. It sounds like the way I would choose to go if there were an option. But the search engine will bring up all the nitty gritty for you, then get a cuppa and hunker down to read. You wil be amazed at the stuff you'll learn here, I was!!!
Again, welcome, and hang in there. The caregivers are the LIFE of the party, so to speak. Take good care of yourself, too.

Andrea

Thanks Anita and Andrea,

I've been doing a lot of reading in this forum. Your posts provided me with so much information. I learned what questions to ask the Onc. We (dominick and I) went to a Rad Onc today at Mayo Clinic. She was great and gave us a complete view of what to expect. She was very honest, too. It's interesting that she recommended conventional radiation rather that IMRT, because IMRT is too concentrated and might damage the vocal cord. She said that they have achieved excellent results with the conventional process, and will stick with it, in Dominick's situation. Chances are we will go the Virginia Piper Center for this treatment because our insurance doesn't cover Mayo in full.

I will keep you posted with our progress. Meanwhile I'll keep reading your posts.

Husband Dom Dx Squamous Cell Carcinoma In-situ, of the vocal cord, 10/03/05.

Hi,
I have no recommendations on this subject other than you might consider a second opinion to confirm what you and your doctors decide. Also my post, will bring this back to the top so someone else may post on it.

Take care,
Eileen

Hi,
Just a note of encouragement. As you can see from my signature, my husband had laryngeal cancer. His left vocal cord was non functioning at the time of dx. He had traditional radiation. He sailed through tx with relative ease and his vocal cord is again functioning. Be sure they do a ct or pet scan to rule out any further involvement. I live 3 hrs from you on the western edge of Az. Feel free to contact me with any question. Muffet