#71221 03-09-2008 02:52 AM | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 | Has anyone ever heard of brachytherapy being used for treating oral cancer? My husband had brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
SS
Brother,56 yrs.old, diagnosed Feb.2008,scc,bot,+ 2 lymph nodes,stage3,HPV,peg,undergoing chemo and radiation 8 weeks beginning Mar 17,2008
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 66 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 66 | It has been used in oral cancers, though for the most part it has been replaced by IMRT radiation as the primary radiation treatment modality. Colleen Zenk Pinter from As the World Turns had it at Yale last year for tongue cancer.
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.
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 794 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 794 | My mom had brachy done in Sept. '07. There are several others here who have had it done also, though as Brian said, IMRT is primary. As you can see by my sig, mom had that as well.
I'd be happy to help you in any way that I can.
Donna
Donna
CG to Mom, dx 4/25/07 with tongue cancer,T3N0,tx began 7/6/07, 31 tx's of IMRT, 8 cycles of Erbitux. Brachytherapy, surgery, left neck dissection and temp trach placed all on 9/17/07, trach removed 10/17/07. ORN of jaw, late effect of radiation symptoms. **lost my beautiful mother on 5/5/11.
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 | Donna, Do you think it helped your mom?? How is she doing now??
Thanks
Sadsister
Brother,56 yrs.old, diagnosed Feb.2008,scc,bot,+ 2 lymph nodes,stage3,HPV,peg,undergoing chemo and radiation 8 weeks beginning Mar 17,2008
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 | Thanks for info Brian. Funny you should mention Pinter-I read about her in a magazine shortly after my brothers' diagnosis (before I found this website) and I wrote her a letter. I am curious to see if she will reply.
Brother,56 yrs.old, diagnosed Feb.2008,scc,bot,+ 2 lymph nodes,stage3,HPV,peg,undergoing chemo and radiation 8 weeks beginning Mar 17,2008
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 66 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 66 | It really depends on who it was mailed to. So much of their mail gets tied up in the machine of the shows PR department etc. and not all of it actually reaches them. If you have something that you feel you wish her to get for sure, Please send it to me and I will see that she gets it. I talk to her regularly and I will be seeing her in another three weeks.
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.
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 17 | Thank you for the offer Brian.I had just wanted to talk to someone who had been through this, but now that I have found this forum- I am finding answers to alot of my questions...
Brother,56 yrs.old, diagnosed Feb.2008,scc,bot,+ 2 lymph nodes,stage3,HPV,peg,undergoing chemo and radiation 8 weeks beginning Mar 17,2008
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 104 Senior Member (100+ posts) | | Senior Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 104 | Hello,
Yes, my dad had brachy therapy after he completed his IMRT and boost treatments. He did well with the brachy therapy, he said it was easier for him than IMRT. My dad has had a recurrence, 4 years apart. He went back to smoking in between. So I don't know if it would be fair to say whether or not his treatments were effective. He is doing well now after 3 surgeries, and is not smoking. After IMRT he had damage to his jawbone. So I don't really know if the IMRT could have contributed to the recurrence.
My best to you and yours.
Dad had oral lichens planus, and oral leukoplakia before T2 SCC,2 nodes.
DX10/23/03
IMRT 12/29/03.30 rad,3 boost.
Brachytherapy 3/8-3/11/04.
Recurrence Nov07 Stage IV.
4 Surgeries
No rads, no chemo
I have oral lichens planus,
thrush,leukoplakia 2/20/08
6/2/08 biopsies "inflammation"
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 794 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 794 | Hi,
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I think it helped my mom, her rad-onc was very pleased with the results thus far. I'll be honest, it's been a long and slow healing process for mom but as you will read from all here RT takes healing time. I can't say whether the IMRT was easier/harder than Brachy as she had it done less than 3wks apart.
Deb, I hope your dad is doing well. I was thinking about him just today!
Donna
CG to Mom, dx 4/25/07 with tongue cancer,T3N0,tx began 7/6/07, 31 tx's of IMRT, 8 cycles of Erbitux. Brachytherapy, surgery, left neck dissection and temp trach placed all on 9/17/07, trach removed 10/17/07. ORN of jaw, late effect of radiation symptoms. **lost my beautiful mother on 5/5/11.
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