#47175 09-14-2006 12:33 PM | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 28 Contributing Member (25+ posts) | OP  Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 28 | Does anybody have input into our situation? My husband had surgery to remove what was thought to be a cyst, and it turned out after he was sent home that it was a tumor. R. tonsil primary was removed, some lymph nodes for testing. Lymph nodes test positive. We have had surgeons tell us more surgery is needed and we have had surgeons tell us to bypass surgery (modified dissection) and do rad/chemo treatment. Anyone ever been told not to do additional surgery to clear margins?
Thank you for feedback,
Barbara,
CG to Tom SCC IV dx'd 8/06, r. tonsil, T2,N2,M0. Modified radical, 30 nodes removed 9/29/06. 6 weeks radiation and 3 weeks amifostine. Tx ended 12/13/06. No chemo. TNB, Tom and Barb, too.
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#47176 09-14-2006 03:18 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 67 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 67 | They may have determined that additional surgery would leave your husband with long term quality of life issues when this is all over from the removal of more tissues. Radiation and combined chemo are the treatments of choice for most patients anyway, and while these will be no walk in the park, they will leave him with anatomical structures in the end that will be necessary for proper swallwoing, speech etc.
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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#47177 09-14-2006 06:25 PM | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 28 Contributing Member (25+ posts) | | OP Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 28 | Thank you so much Brian, we are honored that you take the time to respond.
God Bless,
Barbara,
CG to Tom SCC IV dx'd 8/06, r. tonsil, T2,N2,M0. Modified radical, 30 nodes removed 9/29/06. 6 weeks radiation and 3 weeks amifostine. Tx ended 12/13/06. No chemo. TNB, Tom and Barb, too.
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#47178 09-17-2006 09:50 AM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 | Barbara --
Our oncologist's specialty is organ preservation in head and neck and laryngeal cancer, and she told us (just after Barry was diagnosed) that they are having such good results from combined chemoradiation that she did not recommend any additional pre-treatment surgery. (Barry had already had a tonsillectomy to remove right tonsil, which turned out to be the primary -- like your husband's -- this was when he was diagnosed; the ENT also did fine needle aspiration of the lymph nodes whch also found cancer).
Barry had 33 radiation treatments (tomo-IMRT, bilateral) and 7 chemo treatments (carboplatin only) at Johns Hopkins and had what they call a "complete clinical response" -- that is, no sign of cancer. His MO and RO (radiation oncologist) also did not recommend a post-treatment neck dissection, a number of CCC's are moving away from this step (e.g. Sloan-Kettering).
Barry is now one year from end of treatment and last exam showed everything still looking good, of course they will continue to monitor him regularly. He is back to normal in activities and virtually normal in eating (only those very spicy foods remain no-nos)
Gail Mac
CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
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