Hi. Im ramamurthy frm chennai, India. I found my oral cancer very late at stage T3N2M0 (had a tumor of abt 2cm diameter in one side of my tongue). I had undergone & completed 50 grades of Radio Therapy (25 siting - 2 grades per siting) as of 19/Sep/08. Now the tumor disappeared, still slowly recovering frm inflammation of mucus membrane due to RT.

Can any one suggest me What is the chance of survival If I skip surgery but continue RT? Had any one at T3N2 (or s= survived (or surviving) without surgery?

First consultation -
Doctor advised major surgery in which I will lose
- 2/3rd of tongue
- half of lower Jaw
- most of my ability to speak
- ability to swallow food
- face appearance, etc
*** other complications - as im a patient with hypothyroid, and dyslipedemia, silent ischemia, diabetes melitus type II, I might be unconscious for abt 1-2days after surgery & less response in 1 of my heart valve

Second consultation -
other doctor suggested me to continue Radio Therapy for another 8 sitings (51-66grades) & skip surgery.

thanks in advance

Ramamurthy,

I'm 2 years post all treament, but very new to this site, so I'll let others who have been here longer answer your questions. In the meantime, try reading others' posts and find out what you can, along with the search for specific questions. I found it helpful to see who's logged in, look at their profile, and then read some of their posts.

My first thought, though, is to tell you to seek a 3rd opinion. Hopefully 2 of the 3 doctors will agree. Are you being treated by a doctor who specializes in oral cancer? If not, you should find one for that 3rd opinion, and stay with him or her for any further treatment.

I had surgery first. That doctor didn't think I needed radiation, so I didn't get it. My cancer was back 6 weeks later. I went to a cancer care center where they did another surgery, followed by radiation and chemo. It's 2 years later and I'm doing pretty well now.

Yes, these surgeries caused life-altering changes in my life, but I have my life, and it's very worth it.

Good luck, and I'll be watching for your posts to see how you're doing.

Lani

Ramamurthy,
RT alone will not be sufficient to eliminate agressive cells.
Surgery even though it has some harsh realities removes potential breeding grounds for more malignant cells.
You state that your tumor has disappeared and ask if you can only have the RT. Cancer is different in every individual and treatment is different in every individual.
Get as many opinions as you feel you need and ask the doctors the questions you have asked here. When you are satisified with the answers then choose the treatment that you feel is best for you.
All the best,
Mike

Ramamurthy --

You indicated that you are T3, but that the tumor was only 2cm in size. If it was truly only 2cmm, you would more likely be T1 or T2. Definitive radiation therapy is possible for smaller tumors. Mine on the base of the tongue was just about 2cm, and they did use definitive RT for the tumor itself without surgery. They did do simultaneous chemotherapy for 8 weeks. Generally, as T stage increases, the less likely it is that definitive radiotherapy can be used in isolation.

I would frankly be more concerned about the metastasis to the lymph node. Even though I had only 1 clinically positive node, and not a very large one, they did a bilateral neck dissection in my case. That is not a difficult surgery, and can make the difference in recurrence in the neck.

Good luck to you!!

I was treated the same as Lani G and my cancer was back in less than 2 months also. Then I had to have the rads & chemo, teeth removed and then radiation seed implants. It was a lot longer than 1 or 2 days of being out of it. Go for all of the opinions you can get and go for the most intelligent answers and procedures.

Yes get another opinion if you wish but keep in mind that we are not cancer docs, just "war vets" and while we would love to give you the answer, we can't. Even as Jeff pointed out there may be an inconsistency with your staging. Were you a tobacco user? If you choose not to do the recommended surgery make sure they all agree that you will be closely monitored (even if that's possible) so that at the slightest reoccurrence the surgery would still be possible. This cancer is aggressive, especially so if linked to tobacco, so whatever you do remember your life is at stake.

Those opinions were likely given early in the process. I would want a completely new evaluation after ALL the radiation treatments to evaluate what is left that must be dealt with. At the end of my radiation treatments, all the surgery recommended at the beginning was reduced to just a one side neck dissection. The radiation had done all the work and removed all the cancer.