recunent squamous cell carcinoma to the tongue

h7482
h7482 Member Posts: 3
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
We recently found out that my husband's tonsil cancer of 4 years ago has recurred at the base of his tongue. We are not being given many choices. They are saying that as he had chemo and radiation the first time, he cannot have radiation again. his option is to have his entire tongue taken out. He would not be able to eat, drink and possibly not talk. There has got to be some other option. Help!

Comments

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #2
    Get another opinion
    This is a big decision that you need to make, so don’t go by only one doctor, get another opinion on the matter and see if he can do chemo first and if the tumor does not respond then maybe do surgery

    Wishing you the best and welcome to CSN
    Hondo
  • luv2cut1
    luv2cut1 Member Posts: 288
    #3
    Hondo said:

    Get another opinion
    This is a big decision that you need to make, so don’t go by only one doctor, get another opinion on the matter and see if he can do chemo first and if the tumor does not respond then maybe do surgery

    Wishing you the best and welcome to CSN
    Hondo

    I would
    get another opinion as well. My husband had chemo-radiation twice. First place he got an opinion they would not do it again. He got a second and third opinion that recommended it. It is not easy, but it is doable and his side effects are not that bad. It doesn't hurt to just see what's available so you can make your choice.

    Myka
  • h7482
    h7482 Member Posts: 3
    #4
    Hondo said:

    Get another opinion
    This is a big decision that you need to make, so don’t go by only one doctor, get another opinion on the matter and see if he can do chemo first and if the tumor does not respond then maybe do surgery

    Wishing you the best and welcome to CSN
    Hondo

    thank you
    he was being treated at the VA in Atlanta, and they referred him to the Emory University Cancer Center. They say the tumor is too large for robotics, but I just know there has to be something else. (we will celebrate our first anniversary on April 18th)
  • yanski43
    yanski43 Member Posts: 3
    #5
    Same subject
    my husband had just finished radiation and chemo after having surgery in Nov to remove his cancer from the left side of his tongue. He is still healing from the after effects of the radiation and noticed a bump on the tongue. Went back to the doctor and it was a stitch that did'nt desolve and had festered. After removing the stitch he took a piece of tongue to be biopsied just to be safe. Well here we go again. It was SCC and now more surgery. They said he can't have anymore chemo or radiation and that removing 3 cm from his tongue, they will have to take skin from his arm to reconstruct his tongue. This has been so upsetting to us because all that we have been through. He was just about ready to get his PEG tube out in a few weeks. He was even starting to eat again. You can't help but wonder how aggressive is this cancer????? After 4 years of not having chemo or radiation it seems like you would be able to have it again. We met a genleman in the doctors office who had recurring cancer of the tongue after 2 years and he is going to have 4 weeks of radiation. I would check with another doctor.

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