Stage 4?
He and I are good friends now and I love his frankness.
Why did I make it and have so little after treatments effects baffles me but makes me happy. I have a new friend who only had stage 1 cancer but had surgery and no chemo or radiation (this was 2 and half years ago) and now her cancer is back and she is dying.
This thing called cancer sure is a baffling disease, isn't it?
Nancy aka toughcookie
Comments
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Hi Nancy, No wonder everyone
Hi Nancy, No wonder everyone calls you a tough cookie. I really feel bad for your friend, I assumed they always follow up surgery with radiation. I guess maybe it is better to over treat any stage. Like you said the C. is hard to figure out. Take Care, Homer & Connie0 -
mine!
in my diagnosis age the doc's did not believe in using stages or they did not have them back in Jan. 1996.
I feel this.... cancer is not a stage of any sort, no of us want it, need it for any reason and we all hate the side effects from treatment. we are either going to kick cancers back side or it will kick us. cancer is hard to accept... having a harder level to accept is not any harder to accept.
to me the risk of doing less to fight because someone stage is worse is not one i would choose. i would rather accept the roll of survivor, deal min. by min. with side effects and accept the "new normal"
cancer makes us all tough cookie's :-)0 -
Stage 4connieprice1 said:Hi Nancy, No wonder everyone
Hi Nancy, No wonder everyone calls you a tough cookie. I really feel bad for your friend, I assumed they always follow up surgery with radiation. I guess maybe it is better to over treat any stage. Like you said the C. is hard to figure out. Take Care, Homer & Connie
I asked my friend how come she never had radiation or chemo and she said the surgeon said she didn't need it. The funny thing is she went the same place as I went for my treatments which I found wonderful. I have wondered if she didn't go back for any kind of follow ups. I have a feeling she didn't. When I met her this past April her neck was completely swollen...( we met waiting for PET scans and found out we had the same kind of cancer and were from the same small town). I don't know her extremely well but I am assuming she stayed away.
She had never smoked...
And I have met two more people from the same town as me (pop. 18,000) with head and neck cancer....0 -
Staging
Like John's post above...staging is just a tool to determine size, and mets mainly as I see it. And as far as I can tell, it's cancer and location specific, ie H&N, breast, lungs, etc...
I was STGIII SCC Tonsils, from my understanding it was STGIII either or both because of either the size of the primary (tonsil) or seconday single lymphnode, and that the secondary was on the same side as the primary.
It would have been STGIV if the mets were to the other side, STGII if the size was smaller.
Like you, I had pretty much the full treatemnt, sixteen weeks of four different types of chemo. Nine of those weeks were in three week cycle, Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU. At that point the tonsils had already been removed, no neck dissection, but the tumor had actually dissolved away and confirmed with a CT.
The MD's told me that even though no signs of cancer were present, they highly suggested and it was my original protocol to have the remaining seven weeks of treatment.
That consisted of weekly Carboplatin, daily Amifostine Injections just before the 35 sessions of rads.
So far over 2 1/2 years out, all is well.
When I see someone that didn't at least have both chemo and radiation in addition to surgery, it always makes me wonder. But I have seen some on here with less and have had the same result.
But I'm no medical professional and can only trust that they look at everyone differently and treat that way also. But I know in reality that they also look at the field in general and what has had the most recent highest levels of succesful treatment and longevity...or at least I believe they do.
Best,
John0 -
StageSkiffin16 said:Staging
Like John's post above...staging is just a tool to determine size, and mets mainly as I see it. And as far as I can tell, it's cancer and location specific, ie H&N, breast, lungs, etc...
I was STGIII SCC Tonsils, from my understanding it was STGIII either or both because of either the size of the primary (tonsil) or seconday single lymphnode, and that the secondary was on the same side as the primary.
It would have been STGIV if the mets were to the other side, STGII if the size was smaller.
Like you, I had pretty much the full treatemnt, sixteen weeks of four different types of chemo. Nine of those weeks were in three week cycle, Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU. At that point the tonsils had already been removed, no neck dissection, but the tumor had actually dissolved away and confirmed with a CT.
The MD's told me that even though no signs of cancer were present, they highly suggested and it was my original protocol to have the remaining seven weeks of treatment.
That consisted of weekly Carboplatin, daily Amifostine Injections just before the 35 sessions of rads.
So far over 2 1/2 years out, all is well.
When I see someone that didn't at least have both chemo and radiation in addition to surgery, it always makes me wonder. But I have seen some on here with less and have had the same result.
But I'm no medical professional and can only trust that they look at everyone differently and treat that way also. But I know in reality that they also look at the field in general and what has had the most recent highest levels of succesful treatment and longevity...or at least I believe they do.
Best,
John
My doc said I was either late stage 2 or early stage 3, I considered myself stage 3, the tumor in my larynx was pretty small. I went for the radiation and chemo treatments, chemo was the dreaded cisplatin, left me with some kidney damage. My cancer had not travelled anywhere else and was located on the left side of my larynx stifling the left vocal cord, thus the voice loss. A person I knew had stage 2 larynx cancer and he only had 35 rads, this was at the same time I was going thru treatments, two and a half years ago, his came back and has now had a total laryngectomy, so who knows? Denis0 -
STAGE 4
Hey Toughcookie, I too was stage 4 with base of tongue, and had the ever popular radical dissection, and then 38 radiation treatments (sooo much fun); no chemo. I'm eleven years out, and was doing real good until earlier this year. My doc told me from the beginning that radiation treatment sometimes causes cancer which can develop later on. Well, the second shoe dropped last April when a radiation caused tumor was discovered at the entrance of my windpipe (I had been having some breathing issues and thought it was just abnormal amounts of mucus collecting at my windpipe entrance). I had the tumor removed in June, along with my layrnex (due to the nature of the way that particular cancer spreads). No chemo or radiation is recommended, as it had not spread, and the most recent PET/CT combo scan was negative. I relate this information about the possibility of radiation tumors down the road as an alert for all to be aware of. Yeah, cancer is a baffling, buttocks kicking disease, but as I like to say, I'm just happy to be here. Enjoy life!!
Patrick0 -
Secondary Cancerpatricke said:STAGE 4
Hey Toughcookie, I too was stage 4 with base of tongue, and had the ever popular radical dissection, and then 38 radiation treatments (sooo much fun); no chemo. I'm eleven years out, and was doing real good until earlier this year. My doc told me from the beginning that radiation treatment sometimes causes cancer which can develop later on. Well, the second shoe dropped last April when a radiation caused tumor was discovered at the entrance of my windpipe (I had been having some breathing issues and thought it was just abnormal amounts of mucus collecting at my windpipe entrance). I had the tumor removed in June, along with my layrnex (due to the nature of the way that particular cancer spreads). No chemo or radiation is recommended, as it had not spread, and the most recent PET/CT combo scan was negative. I relate this information about the possibility of radiation tumors down the road as an alert for all to be aware of. Yeah, cancer is a baffling, buttocks kicking disease, but as I like to say, I'm just happy to be here. Enjoy life!!
Patrick
True, secondary cancer from radiation is always a possibility...but at least they advised me of that and it's the price you might have to pay.
Best,
JG0 -
Cancer againSkiffin16 said:Secondary Cancer
True, secondary cancer from radiation is always a possibility...but at least they advised me of that and it's the price you might have to pay.
Best,
JG
I agree Cancer from the radiation is always a possibility; it is just something we learn to live with. In my case my cancer came back but it was not from the radiation.
Wishing you well
Hondo0 -
Tough cookie
I had stage 4 cancer on my tongue. They removed about 90% of my tongue and replaced it with my thigh. I also had 2 neck dissections with 8 or 9 cancerous lyph nodes on the left and none on the right. Then i had chemo and radiation.
The radiation was so strong that it ate the bone that holds my jaw in place. I also got a cyst in my jaw from radiation. I had my first surgery in July 2010. I had another surgery in March 2011. I was supposed to have another operation in August to shape my tongue better but my jaw is to messed up.
I am still on oxycontin and oxycodone for pain. I can not eat very well and drink about a gallon of milk a day. When i do eat it is soft foods. Its kind of funny the head nurse of the head and neck hospital i go to still remembers me. I asked her why she remembers me and she told me i was special because i was not supposed to make it.0 -
SpecialDav1965 said:Tough cookie
I had stage 4 cancer on my tongue. They removed about 90% of my tongue and replaced it with my thigh. I also had 2 neck dissections with 8 or 9 cancerous lyph nodes on the left and none on the right. Then i had chemo and radiation.
The radiation was so strong that it ate the bone that holds my jaw in place. I also got a cyst in my jaw from radiation. I had my first surgery in July 2010. I had another surgery in March 2011. I was supposed to have another operation in August to shape my tongue better but my jaw is to messed up.
I am still on oxycontin and oxycodone for pain. I can not eat very well and drink about a gallon of milk a day. When i do eat it is soft foods. Its kind of funny the head nurse of the head and neck hospital i go to still remembers me. I asked her why she remembers me and she told me i was special because i was not supposed to make it.
Dav you are special and glad you are here with us to help others to stay the curse in being a survivor
All the best
Hondo0 -
My doctor was very bluntHondo said:Special
Dav you are special and glad you are here with us to help others to stay the curse in being a survivor
All the best
Hondo
When I was diagnosed with base of tongue stage four cancer I was about ready to travel to the oil fields where I worked seasonally. I informed him of this and asked if I could do the treatments after the season was over about six months later. He said as matter of factly as I have ever heard anyone say anything to me, "Sure you can go to work in Alaska but you won't come back." That ended my doctors apointment that day.
Obviously I went to treatments. IT is worth it! Six years and counting instead of six months. I w
ould kiss him if he would allow it but I will not ask. LOL!0 -
Excellent Choicecwcad said:My doctor was very blunt
When I was diagnosed with base of tongue stage four cancer I was about ready to travel to the oil fields where I worked seasonally. I informed him of this and asked if I could do the treatments after the season was over about six months later. He said as matter of factly as I have ever heard anyone say anything to me, "Sure you can go to work in Alaska but you won't come back." That ended my doctors apointment that day.
Obviously I went to treatments. IT is worth it! Six years and counting instead of six months. I w
ould kiss him if he would allow it but I will not ask. LOL!
I definitely think you made the right choice buddy....
JG0 -
My father was diagnosed with
My father was diagnosed with stage 4 this past Feb. He had a radical neck dissection where they took 29 lymph nodes out of his right side of his neck, 23 which were cancerous. They also took his jugular vein on his right side as well because cancer was wrapped around it and the surgeon could not remove it independently. They did not take the cancerous lymph nodes out of his left side because of the severity of the surgery on his right. The Doc. wanted to see what the chemo and radiation would do to it first and let him heal up. He goes in for his PET scan next Monday. I am both anxious, and terrified. I want him to be done with this as it was the hardest thing I have had to do in my life.......to watch my father battle this. On a lighter note, he is getting better everyday. Eating a little more, feeling a little better, staying awake a little longer in between naps. Heck, he even cut a couple truck loads of fire wood the other day. Not that I allowed him, but he did it while I was at work. So the overall progress IS improving.0 -
StagingSkiffin16 said:Staging
Like John's post above...staging is just a tool to determine size, and mets mainly as I see it. And as far as I can tell, it's cancer and location specific, ie H&N, breast, lungs, etc...
I was STGIII SCC Tonsils, from my understanding it was STGIII either or both because of either the size of the primary (tonsil) or seconday single lymphnode, and that the secondary was on the same side as the primary.
It would have been STGIV if the mets were to the other side, STGII if the size was smaller.
Like you, I had pretty much the full treatemnt, sixteen weeks of four different types of chemo. Nine of those weeks were in three week cycle, Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU. At that point the tonsils had already been removed, no neck dissection, but the tumor had actually dissolved away and confirmed with a CT.
The MD's told me that even though no signs of cancer were present, they highly suggested and it was my original protocol to have the remaining seven weeks of treatment.
That consisted of weekly Carboplatin, daily Amifostine Injections just before the 35 sessions of rads.
So far over 2 1/2 years out, all is well.
When I see someone that didn't at least have both chemo and radiation in addition to surgery, it always makes me wonder. But I have seen some on here with less and have had the same result.
But I'm no medical professional and can only trust that they look at everyone differently and treat that way also. But I know in reality that they also look at the field in general and what has had the most recent highest levels of succesful treatment and longevity...or at least I believe they do.
Best,
John
In my case the cancer was a small area on the right side of my throat that had also migrated to one lymph node which is how I discovered it. I had no symptoms but I did find the lump when I was rubbing my neck, it was way up under the jaw. My ENT called it stage 4 because it involved a lymph node, my medical ENC says it is stage 3. At the end of the day it really wasn't important since the treatment was the same, 8 sessions of Erbitux and 35 of radiation after removing the lymph node. I had no other mets so the docs are pretty optimistic. I am only 1/2 done with the rads and my throat feels like I have ingested battery acid. I was told and subsequently read that radiation and chemo, although Erbitux is really not chemo, used concurrently increases the effectiveness by a lot.
Best to all of you.
John0 -
Baffling
It is such a mysterious disease that even baffles the DR. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer (SCC) and our DR said they felt confident that they would get it all with radiation and chemo and he would be fine. He battled it constant for 17 months and lost. So it's just strange, but congrats to you for doing so well.
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A Lot of Us Were Stage IV
I was diagnosed Stage IV - T2N2bM0. I was considered stage four because one of the two affected lymph nodes (same side as my base of tongue tumor) was really big. Sadly, since there often aren't symptoms early on, and no blood markers to test for, many people with H&N cancer aren't diagnosed early in the disease progression. And it's true - we can do things we think will help us recover from treatment and avoid recurrance, and be "healthy", but you can't be sure. It must make you ache to see your friend, and think that if only she'd had the same treatment as you, she might be all right today.0
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