29 y.o. girl tongue cancer

braziliangirl82

Hello to all. I was really in doubt before joining - and also afraid. Last october i had a surprise with the possibility for having cancer. None of my family had this. Cancer ghost was not over my family. But now it is.

I had a tongue (right side) biopsy on Oct 28, 2011. Result came as low displasia. The doctor said it wasnt compatible with clinic. Asked for a biopsy review, came the same result.

Went do other doctor, that told me that i should pick the major specialist in Brazil, called Dr. Kowalski. I made it, in 10 days had consultancy and was on surgery on December 7, 2011.

Then, one week later I had an appointment with the doc again to remove de Naso enteral tube (hate it so much, longer week in my life), and got the surgery results. SCC, T1 with 63 mm depth, free margins with no perineural invasion.

But since the tumor was more than 3 mm depht the doc said I had 50% chance do have neck metastasis. Then another surgery again, to remove nodes (parcial neck dissection) on December 21.

Fornunately I had no neck involvement, 0/57, all nodes free. The doctor said I have 85% a 90% cure rate. And he said I´m free, normal life and that I´ll need fonotherapy to talk clearly again. No chemo / radiation needed and HPV-.

I have some questions:
- What do you think about it? I´d like to people T1N0M0 cured! Or any stage cured, since I have a long life in front of me.
- Have u heard of recurrence on this stage?
- Have u heard of cases with people young like me?

I´m a bit insecure right now.
Thanks a lot and hope all of you stay strong!

longtermsurvivor

Welcome to the board
What you basically had was a T1N0M0 SCC, with adequate margins of resection. You had a very meticulous neck dissection. We know this because of the fact the surgeon removedd 57 nodes. And you've had a very modern, good discussion with your doctor about the circumstances of your cancer.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. Not every SCC of the head and neck needs chemotherapy nor radiation. Both have their own types of morbidity/mortality, and since your circumstance gives you a cure rate of 80-90%, most would not recommend additional treatment.

Your insecurity is totally understandable. There is a recurrance risk even in the best of circumstances. This is the reason you will want careful follow up, for at least the first three years by your expert.

You will find a number of people who post on this board who are in your age group. It actually isn't that unusual to see people in their 20's and 30's with this disease, especially the cancer is HPV positive.

Where was your surgery done?

Pat

braziliangirl82

longtermsurvivor said:

Welcome to the board
What you basically had was a T1N0M0 SCC, with adequate margins of resection. You had a very meticulous neck dissection. We know this because of the fact the surgeon removedd 57 nodes. And you've had a very modern, good discussion with your doctor about the circumstances of your cancer.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. Not every SCC of the head and neck needs chemotherapy nor radiation. Both have their own types of morbidity/mortality, and since your circumstance gives you a cure rate of 80-90%, most would not recommend additional treatment.

Your insecurity is totally understandable. There is a recurrance risk even in the best of circumstances. This is the reason you will want careful follow up, for at least the first three years by your expert.

You will find a number of people who post on this board who are in your age group. It actually isn't that unusual to see people in their 20's and 30's with this disease, especially the cancer is HPV positive.

Where was your surgery done?

Pat

Hi Pat
My surgery was done here - www.accamargo.com.br. Brazilian Cancer Hospital, the best in latin america.

It fightens me a lot when u say that recurrence is possible. I don´t wanna be over it again.

ratface

braziliangirl82 said:

Hi Pat
My surgery was done here - www.accamargo.com.br. Brazilian Cancer Hospital, the best in latin america.

It fightens me a lot when u say that recurrence is possible. I don´t wanna be over it again.

A bit insecure
is putting it mildly. I was T1N2bmx and had chemo, radiation, and a neck disection. The docs are giving me the same odds after watching me for three years. They are giving you those odds after watching you for 6 months. This will take some time to get your mind around it. Seek whatever help you need. This is a great place to start.

braziliangirl82

ratface said:

A bit insecure
is putting it mildly. I was T1N2bmx and had chemo, radiation, and a neck disection. The docs are giving me the same odds after watching me for three years. They are giving you those odds after watching you for 6 months. This will take some time to get your mind around it. Seek whatever help you need. This is a great place to start.

Thanks
Thanks ratface. How old are you? Do you smoke or drink?

tommyodavey

braziliangirl82 said:

Thanks
Thanks ratface. How old are you? Do you smoke or drink?

Good Recovery
It sounds like you did the right thing and your chances of it coming back are minor. Not having to go through radiation is great and hopefully it won't come back and you can live out the rest of your life free of it.

Thanks for posting on my thread. They didn't say how long I'd be in the hospital for the neck dissection but I guess I'll find out tomorrow. Reading the posts here it looks like it could be 3-4 days. Either way, at least I'll be taken care of. When I had my tongue surgery I suffered so much pain at home that I felt I should have stayed in the hospital for at least 4 days.

I wish you a speedy recovery and never a re-occurrence.

Tommy

stevenl

braziliangirl82 said:

Thanks
Thanks ratface. How old are you? Do you smoke or drink?

Like
Morbidity and Especially MORTALITY, speaking of tumors of course, are
excellent descriptions for SCC. Mortality is hoped for speedily.
LTS you have outdone yourself. Words do help or hurt. Good Stuff.

Best,
Steve

ratface

braziliangirl82 said:

Thanks
Thanks ratface. How old are you? Do you smoke or drink?

I answered yes to all the risk factors
that's why I've been cursed with the face of a rat. I'm mid fifties. I realize that emotionally it is harder to take the diagnosis at 29. My uncle passed away this year at 89 and I can tell you that there is no age that is good to die. You do have a future as there are many here with survival in the teens and some in the double decades. Your prognosis is good and you must not discount that. There are many reasons for recurrence and some are within individual control. You must start to control your future with everyday decisions. Start to exercise and eat healthy. Do not let this steal your future and do not suffer with depression or anxiety. Get some medication to get you through the next phase of recovery. I utilized anti-anxiety medication as well as the services of two psychologists.