Hello Everyone,

My name is Gary and I have been lurking around here for about a week gathering info and reading the stories of others.

I was diagnosed with SCC of the left buccal mucosa (interior cheek) about 2 months ago. I underwent surgery just over 4 weeks ago to remove the growth along with a neck dissection.

The good news is that all 23 lymph nodes were negative and there were clean margins. The doctors said that based on the size alone I was probably Stage 1, less than 2 centimeters, but there was minor peri-neural invasion and invasion of some of the muscle of the cheek in the removed section. Based on this info my cancer is probably Stage 4 N0 M0 due to the muscular invasion. There does seem to be some hesitation on the part of the doctors to definitively say that I am Stage 4.

I am still in the healing process so I have not yet begun radiation. I will be consulting with another oncologist regarding chemo. My gut tells me to be aggressive due to the fact that I am relatively young, 30, and the probability that I am Stage 4 N0 M0 as opposed to Stage 1.

I should also mention that I had two enlarged lymph nodes removed from my right groin because the showed upon the PET/CT scan. The docs were concerned that I may have another primary, like lymphoma. Fortunately they were negative as well.

I find this board to be a comfort and a place of encouragement. The information I have gathered has made me a much better patient and has assisted in my decision making process. Thank you to everyone!


Gary

Welcome, Gary. I agree this site was a terrific help to me when I was going through treatment. I am glad you found us. I am of the Throw Everything At It shcool of thought about this nasty disease. I was a definite stage 4 and I am closing in on 5 years since diagnosis, having asked for and received very aggressive treatment. If you are offered chemo to go with your rad treatments, I urge you to accept. It will make it a little tougher, but it won't be a picnic anyway, so what's a little more discomfort?? Whatever you elect, it will be over soon and you can get back to your real life. Never forget that in the long view, this is just a blip on the time track. You can do this and we will be here to anwswer any questions you have.

Hi Gary:
Welcome to the OCF board. My husband, David, was having surgery at this very moment 4 years ago today so I think it is fitting to welcome you as I celebrate his survivorship. Radiation and/or chemo are tough treatment paths but the folks at OCF are pretty much pros at both. You can do this(take it one step at a time) and as Joanna mentioned-any question that is significant to you can be posted here. Congratulations on your recovery thus far.

Best Wishes,

Kim