Will radiation and chemo be a part of my treatment can I forgo that part?

I didn't want to do chemo...

... but I followed my doctor's (and medical oncology's) recommendations and did 35 radiation treatments and 3 chemo treatments.  I had it pretty easy, but it was still rough going for a while.  It's almost one year later and I feel great.  Just plan on throwing away a year of your life because you'll need that time (or longer) to be focused on recovery.

NCCN guidelines...

Sabrina, you've asked like 4 questions on this board over the last day or two so it's apparent you are pretty nervous...but good for you for seeking out information.   The folks who are active on here have been through the ringer and have a wealth of knowledge to share and are happy to do it.

Regarding chemo and radiation, there are pretty specific guidelines about what the generally accepted treatments are depending on all the variables that your cancer team identifies...  They are called the NCCN guidelines.  They look at whether your disease is related to HPV or not, they look at whether they can find the primary tumor and how large it is, they look at specific features on that tumor like whether it shows signs of being extra aggressive, they look at whether or not it has spread to nodes in your neck...  Depending on all these different things they will likely refer to the NCCN guidelines to tell them whether you are at low, medium or high risk and that will guide your treatment.  Some folks have just surgery and then watch and wait.  Others have surgery and then 1 or more adjuvant treatment like chemo and/or radiation.

As others have said, it can be rough but it's doable.  Accept what their treatment plan is and then go after it with all you have.  There are a lot of stories out there about folks who opted for less than recommended treatment and it turned out to be not enough.  Good luck to you!

Brandon

Sabrina,

Sabrina,

I was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Cancer (left nasal passage). I have subsequently had 35 radiation treatments, and I'm on my 2nd (of 3) follow up chemo treatments.

I sincerely hope that your Doctors tell you that no further treatment is needed!

But, I'm here to tell you that, although it is challenging - the follow up treatment is certainly survivable to a strong, positive person. And, you will very likely live at least 30, maybe 40 more years, after it is all over!

The most important thing is to knock it out in the long run, so you have time with your loved ones. One thing about these types of diagnosis, they remind you how precious your life is, and you tend to start telling the people you love ... that you love them, quite often!

I wish you the best of luck, no matter the outcome. You're seeking help, and advice - which automatically tells me that you're very likely going to be a survivor!!

Motorcycleguy (aka: Curt)

Sabrina23 said:

how long does tongue cancer surgery last

About how long does tongue cancer surgery last is it like a quick procedure when you have a glossectomy and neck dissection? They said they were going to do a flap reconstruction what does that mean?  Can anyone share their experiences with this on flap reconstruction, glossectomy and neck dissection? Thank you for helping me

I ran into a friend on Saturday....

... that had tongue cancer.  She only had surgery.... didn't want chemo or radiation.  They cut out the tumor and she also had a neck disszection.  I didn't get all of the specifics like whether it was HPV+ and what stage, but I remember her saying one surgery was (and I'm going by a weak memory here) something like 13 hours and the other 9 hours.  They could've been longer.

Edited for error

opposite approach

Yes there are other options. Try to avoid getting a feeding tube, harder to recover later from. Make healthy blender drinks and it will go down easier and give enough nourishment. I suggest you find a Proton treatment center also as there will be less pain and less healthy tissue damage later. You can have a RX mouth numbing rinse prescribed later if needed temporarily also. Have your blood Vitamin D level checked (edited by CSN staff). Try a keto diet going forward also to help prevent cancer return.

Always other better was if you investigate.

I opted out on radiation and chemo. So far so good

Sabrina you can read my story and situation under the Head and Neck Cancer Group under the topic "Radiation or No Radiation".  In short I opted out of the recommended radiation and chemo treatment.  Glad I did, last 2 Pet Scans came back clean (Dec 2018 and June 2019).