Brandon, have you thought about doing both a medically recommended treatment plan as well as eating a healthy diet? They are not mutually exclusive. Edit: I didn't mean for that to sound sarcastic. I've also been following recommended treatment plans and trying to eat healthy.

I'm glad you're getting a second opinion at a CCC. Best wishes and good luck to you.

Brandon... Holistic is great... do it... but also do the chemo and anything else they offer you... like surgery.

I am a health nut. I am a vegetarian, I minimize carbs, I don't smoke don't drink, I meditate I try to be alkaline. But knowing this disease... I would still take standard treatment and do the holistic thing as well.

My health and diet helped me fare well through treatment, however it didn't stop me from getting cancer.

Take a really good look at Steve Jobs... He believed in holistic treatment and stopped all standard care. He was a brilliant man, but that wasn't a brilliant move. My advice for what it's worth is do whatever you can, because there may come a day that they can't and won't offer you treatment - you need to know you did all you can to fight this.

Hugs.

Brandon,

Please eat healthy and do whatever conventional treatment is offered by your doctors.

If the holistic treatment you speak of was a proven cure it would be all over the news and we wouldn't need the conventional wisdom years of cancer research and trials. This disease is nothing to fool around with. I am begging you to heed your doctors advice.

Brandon,

You haven't checked in for a while, and many of us are wondering what you decided to do. Please update us. Even though you may not have liked the responses you got, please remember we all have your best interest at heart and want you to get well. We will support you no matter what. We do not judge. We do not forget you because you haven't been around. We offer the wisdom of our experiences.

Whatever you decide we will support you. This is your life. You are an adult and can make your own decisions. Those of us who have traveled the road before you want you to be safe, healthy and happy.

We are part of your family now, and will accept any decisions you make.

Please let us know how you are doing.

Virgo,

I apologize for not keeping you all up to date, I was gonna post my final decision after I spoke to U of M this upcoming Thursday. I did however meet again with my main Chemo Doctor on May 12th. He said based off there being no data to support my chances of killing the remaining microscopic cells with further chemotherapy, waiting is not a bad thing and hopefully I can build my immune system strong enough to kill off the remaining bad cells. They said they would monitor me closely by doing a CT scan every 2-3 months instead of every 6. He definitely suggests that I do go get a second opinion.

If I do play the waiting game, and the disease does come back, I would be eligible to undergo new clinical trials that my Cancer Center has been working on called Immunotherapy. That is always an option as well but I will let you guys know my emotions and decision after I speak to a different Chemo Doctor on Thursday. Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and of your best interest. And indeed, we are all one big spiritual family!

If there are remaining cancer cells... then you need treatment. You definitely need a second opinion, and they need to do something. The body rarely - if ever - resolves cancer on it's own, you are 22 and this is too big a risk to take. (frankly if you were my son I would have smacked the chemo guy upside the head and made an appointment immediately with someone else. Of the three disciplines involved with this type of cancer chemo has the least effect it's really only used to soften up the tumor for radiation to do more damage, or to try and stabilize the tumor. This is something your rads guy should be looking at, or even your ENT.)

The next stop for cancer - particularly if it is present in the nodes - is the lungs. Once it reaches this stage it's a grim prognosis. Add this to the fact that you are young and have no precursors for this cancer - that's scary my friend (younger people tend to have a more aggressive form of it). I would not walk I would RUN to get another opinion. If you didn't have bilateral radiation initially then that should be the next recourse.

Hugs - I don't want to scare you but your chemo drs wait and see approach is terrifying.

I agree with Cheryl,

I had Perneural, Lymphovascular Invasion, and positve margins, which are microscopic cancer, after a few neck dissections, and additional surgery with intraoperative radiation (IORT), which are good for microscopic cancer, including brachytherapy that is similar, were recommended, in addition too, further IMRT, chemo/targeted therapy, Proton and chemo another time. I was told without such, there was a 70% chance of cancer recurring.

In 2011 I had microscopic cancer, after my first radical neck dissection, in my uninvolved neck muscle of all places, and my ENT recommended chemoradiation, which was not done by my medical and radiation oncologist, different than the above, due to my condition, did result in a recurrence 5 months later.

At one point I was even looking into being on maintenance Erbitux, and then Tarceva, for Chemoprevention, which my two oncologists said no to, but I see so many different trials these days one may qualify for or at least I try to keep up with, just in case.

Every patient and situation is different, and so are the CCC, the doctors and their experience, and I sought out ones I thought best, and woud treat me further.

Good luck with everything.

Hi everyone.
I am writing for my brother Brandon. We went to our 2nd opinion on Thursday at another NCCC. We have two in Michigan. Brandon is being treated at one and the 2nd opinion was at another. The 2nd opinion chemo doctor agreed with Brandon's primary chemo doctor. That he would not recommend chemo as there is no proven study that it would help Brandon. Brandon can be cancer free right now besides the microscopic cancer cells. We asked if he can do a clinical study and they said no because there is no proof that he still has cancer. The doctor said he can offer the chemo but he wouldnt recommend it. He suggested that Brandon gets a second opinion on his previous surgeries. He said it wont hurt to get a second opinion on how his surgeon did. He wasnt saying anything bad about his surgeon but said might as well get another opinion. BRandon will be getting a second opinion on his previous surgeries with a different doctor on Wednesday.

I'm confused.... does he have cancer? or no? The term microscopic cancer... tells me yes. Untreated microscopic cancer turns into full blown cancerous tumors and moves - so... In this case wait and see doesn't cut it with a 22 year old. He needs treatment even if he has to travel to do it.

who said he has microscopic cancer?

As I said previously CHEMO DRS are no good with this type of cancer. By this I mean what they offer will not help him (assuming he still has cancer) Chemo doesn't kill this type of cancer.

Perhaps he should see another surgeon, or go for a second round of radiation depending on where the cancer is located and whether it was in the radiation field last time. There is also proton radiation, clinical trials, intraoperative radiation as Paul said.

Assuming he has a definitive dx of cancer still existing to NOT TREAT IT would be stupid at this point.

He definitely can't sit on this.

My husband's metastasis were caused by microscopic cancer cells traveling into his lungs -- usually a popular destination for these cells. I, too, cannot understand what your doctors are saying. Microscopic cells do not stay put in one location, they travel to other parts of the body. I am not sure Brandon understands this.