As I said my RO and ENT both gave me three basic options.

1. Do nothing and die.
2. Surgery, which would involve removable a section of the jaw bone for access to the back of the throat.
3. More radiation. This would be just as long and more arduous as the first go round.

It really wasn't much of a choice or difficult decision.

While it may seem to be grasping at a thread, I feel that all possible options must be explored and attempted.

I definitely agree that faced with a re-occurrence I would probably want additional rad vs the alternatives which never seem to do anything but postpone it's course so I'm glad that at least that's being added to our available weapons.

As promised I saw my RO and asked him about the second rad TX. He explained it by saying that the second round was started out of deparation on patients who no other options. It was found that they started having success, especially when it had been a while since the initial tx. Also, the first time the TX covered the face from below the eye sockets to the collar bone. This time, it is very localized to just the area of the tumor, the back of the throat between the tonsils.

As he said, radiation is a matter of degrees. A third degree burn on the back of your hand will scar, but not kill. A third degree burn, the same intesity, over 80% of your body is a death sentance.

Made sense to me.

Plus I don't have many options.

Pete,
it is good that this is now apparently possible.
Let us know how you fare.

Best wishes!

Markus

Well I hope that others will find success in certain situations. I will talk to my RO and see what his current thinking is. That's interesting.

Pete I am in a much more difficult situation but we have some things in common. i do have a site on the right side of my neck stuck on the spinal cord, that could not been operated. another site on the left side of my neck that has affected the jugular vein, and although operated still no clear, and finally 2 new sites on both sides on the base of my tongue. what a hapiness!!
an RO that examined me told me that i could be reradiated again, like you, even though the last time that the neck area was radiated was in December. the kind of treatment i got in December was with Co radiation.
the only option that i know have is to try the IMRT rad along with chemo. he advised me to take some pills of pentoxifylline and 3 times per day Vit. E capsules in order not to suffer so much of the side effects of the radiation. he also suggested to have 30 rounds of hyperbaric oxygen treatments before we start the rad.
has your RO suggested anything to do before you start radiation?

Radiation is never safe - but it's all about risk vs. benefit.

I have collateral damage from the first radiation and so have many others here. Some of it doesn't even start to appear until you are several years out.

There were clinical trials a few years ago about re-irradiation and they were mainly positive in that the patients didn't have as severe side effects and the doctors surmised they would. I have not seen any data about the efficacy, maybe Brian has.

If I had a recurrence and they wanted to do radiation again I would probably do it, especially since I had IMRT to begin with.

An RO I saw at Dana Farber told me that re-radiation is never a problem if it is done quite a few years out (I think he said after 15 years) but I think using it on patients who have had rad. more recently --and having success--must be newer.

I've had all sorts of collateral damage from radiation--I think my body was damaged more than the way it affects most people but if it were my only chance of really killing the beast and I had a recurrence I would still consider having more. Though I really really hope I never face that decision.

Nelie

I have completed two weeks of rad tx. We jumped right into it, the only prep was to have a PEG re-inserted. The plug of mucous is so great that talking is almost impossible. Not because it hurts, but because no can understand me.

Pete,

Ask your doctor for approval to use a portable suction machine to help suck out all that mucous. If he won't agree, they can be rented from a health equipment company for approximately $30.00 a month. Weigh about 5 lbs. and can be recharged. Made a big difference with the quality of each day to my sister...wasn't able to swallow and wasn't able to spit the mucous out effectively either.

My thoughts are with you and hoping the best for you.

Nancy