Newcomer here

Alyssa_30

I have been diagnosed with cancer of the tonsil that has spread to the lymph node. I am faced with the decision to go with just radiation or radiation with chemotherapy. I am 78 years old so I am leaning toward just radiation. If anyone would share their experiences with me it would be very helpful.

OscarMike

Hi Alyssa. I’m currently being treated for the same cancer as you. Primary tumor left base of the tongue with spread to the left lymph nodes. T2N2M0, Stage 2. I’m half way through radiation and chemo. My doctors told me the radiation is the primary killer and chemo does 2 things, enhances radiations effectiveness and works to kill the cancer throughout the body. The 70-72 Gray total radiation and 7 40mg treatments of cisplatin is the proven standard of care for this type of cancer with a 80%-90%+ success rate.

From my perspective, radiation treatments are a grind. 5 days a week with the potential of significant short term side effects. You can Google the details. Taking the time for self care between treatments is critical, takes effort but is worth it. I’m doing Proton radiation which reduces side effects so I’m my case it’s helping.

For me, chemo is a whole different animal. Today was my 4 of 7 treatment. It took 4 hours. The treatment itself wasn’t a big deal but tonight I started feeling wonky when I got home. As expected. They give you a steroid for nausea and it helps you feel good for a day or so. Tomorrow, I’ll feel pretty good. Saturday, when the steroid runs out, I’ll feel significantly fatigued. That will last through Sunday. By Monday morning, I’ll start feeling a little better and will keep improving until next Thursday when I get chemo and the cycle starts over again. The bottom line is that chemo makes me feel crummy for a few days but it is something I can manage with hydration and rest. Please note that my doctors told me I’m tolerating chemo very well and not all people do.

My latest PET scan this week showed the tumors are dying and no indication of spread to lungs or liver. So far, radiation + chemo is working for me.

My advice with regard to chemo is do what your doctors recommend. Don’t risk the cancer coming back for what might be a shortcut today. It’s 7 weeks and you’re done. It might not seem so now but those 7 weeks will pass before you know it.

I hope this helps even if just a little. Good luck with your journey. Take it one day at a time and you’ll do great.

O.M.

PS. If you have access to Proton radiation look into it. It is a significant game changer for the cancer we have.

Vagabond37

Hello Alyssa. I had the same cancer and am 6 months out from the radiation/ chemo. Also have lymph node involvement and required follow on surgery. I’m 68 and in good shape for that. Oscar Mike describes the radiation/ chemo regimen perfectly. Radiation is hard on your body and and cause lasting effects and changes. At 6 months out I’m still getting past some of the short term side effects and adapting to the others. My experience with chemo was just as previously described. But as mentioned it’s just 7 weeks. Unfortunately for me the cancer wasn’t all killed so surgery was necessary. Surgery and recovery is a whole other topic. My cancer was very aggressive and invasive so once the surgeon got a look it went from a simple single node removal to a radical neck dissection. Set me back a little but I recovered quickly.

6 months scans all negative and I’m back to normal. I’m glad I went with the doctors recommendations. Wish you the best whatever you decide.

Lloyd