Hello friends.
As usual, I've come to this website to seek comfort and share my thoughts in my husband's battle with stage IV tongue cancer. He finished his chemo (5-FU, cisplatin) and his radiation txs (58 total conventional twice daily radiation)this week. We are truly blessed as although he has lost weight and has very burned skin on his neck, he never lost swallowing ability and did not require a PEG or NG tube inserted. We will be seeing the oncologist this coming week, and in July, he will follow up with the otolaryngologist. My question is this...what usually comes next? How soon after radiation and chemo is another scan or larygoscopy done? The hardest part of this whole thing is before and immediately after treatment. Any info would be greatly helpful. Once again, thank you all for your support and for the gift of this website.
Sincerely,
Virginia
Wife to Doug SCC base of tongue T4N2cM0

Hello Virginia,

Happy to hear Doug has finished his treatment. The radiation effects might continue for two or three weeks after completation. The gift that keeps on giving.
I had scans 6 months after treatment ended. Have been receiving an mri of my neck & a cat scan of my lungs every 6 months for the last year and one half.
Doug needs some healing time right now. They won't do the scans real close to end of treatment. Remember to measure his progress in weeks not days. There may be some bumps in the road but nothing you both can't overcome.

Wishing you the best,

Danny Boy

Thanks Danny. I really appreciate your feedback. The radiation doctor mentioned that he may need a neck dissection possibly after his treatment and I was wondering if this is done shortly after or is there a longer waiting period? We will be asking the oncologist and the otolarygologist these questions when scheduled appts. arise, but I just would like to know from others experiences. We're trying to prepare ourselves and plan accordingly. Once again, any info is greatly appreciated.

Hi Virginia,

My radiation and chemo ended on March 15th. I had a partial/modified/selective neck dissection on the 24th of May. For some reason, I seem to recall my ENT telling me that the neck dissection needed to be done within 100 days after treatment for optimal results. I didn't bother to ask why . . .

Hope that helps.

Tim

Thanks Tim! God Bless you on your success and continued good health. Take care and stay well.
Regards,
Virginia

Please talk about what type of chemo you had with radiation and share your experience with the neck dissection-sounds as though my father has the SAME dx--congrats on the news! Hooray! Please share tips for helping my dad through the radiation-when will it get bad?? He is 4 days in...still is golfing.

Hi All,

I golfed through the entire radiation and chemo treatment. Although not well. Hit from womens tees because I was very week. I found it takes a few months for the effects of the radiation to wear off. I was fatigued for some time. I had the neck disection done on jan31, about 7 weeks after treatment stops. the radiation gets progressivley worse as the time goes on. Burns to the skin, mouth sores, etc. I coudn't speak for about 3 weeks. The skin heals very quickly from the burns though. It looks much worse than it is.

I had 5FU (4 days straight at the beginning and at end, Taxol, plus two others in the middle of the 5FU. Has 35 raiation treatments. The mask they bolt you to the table with was the worst part.

If I can be of further help, email me at [email protected]

Steve

Virginia
How is Doug doing?
MArica