Wrrying over radiation treatment(oncoming)

FormerMember over 4 years ago

2 replies
33 subscribers
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I am a 74yr old male who was diagnosed with head & neck cancer on 11/11/20,it apparently has started in my right tonsil(haven,t had my tonsils removed) and travelled to my neck.The lump about the size of a chipolata sausage is under my right jaw bone.I have been advised to start radiation therapy,however due to very severe COPD which i,ve had for3/4 yrs now,my breathing is very laboured espescially after eating(which i don,t do as often as normal).So after talking to my oncologist,who has informed me that one fo the side effects of the therapy is swelling in my throat and a good chance this may affect my windpipe,hence my worries the other thing that does,nt help is the fact that i believe if i needed a trachieostomy because of this,i my ot be able to have this small op as my condition will not sustain a general anastetic.Can anybody give me any sort of advice/help i,m at my wits end,and am considering foregoing any treatment at all.

Beesuit over 4 years ago

Hi Art

Welcome to the Macmillan Community.

Your diagnosis will rightfully leave you in distress and with lots of worries and questions

I'm Dani and I hang out in The Head and Neck Cancer Group click on the link and introduce yourself there where there are lots of people who will try to help.

I am a 2 year survivor of radiotherapy for base of tongue cancer

I think you have to be guided by what your consultant oncologist and surgeons say. I am in touch with lots of people who had radiation to the back of the throat and none of them needed a tracheostomy, but of course I understand that this might have been mentioned because of your COPD. RT does cause mucositis (which is like an ulceration and affects your swallowing but generally doesn't interfere with breathing). Have they told you definitely that you aren't a candidate for a tracheostomy?

Forgoing treatment is of course an option but to be truthful the consequences are dire.

I remember being diagnosed and I told them they can do anything they want to me if they can fix me and they did.

Dani

Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

I BLOGGED MY TREATMENT

Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

JuiceStool over 4 years ago

Hello Art,

I’m so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I can only imagine how you are feeling. My dad (58 years young) was diagnosed with throat cancer September 2020. He has since tackled 7 weeks of intense radiotherapy and 4 weeks of chemo (he had to finish chemo early due to low magnesium). Dad also has COPD and his throat was extremely swollen and painful from about 2 weeks into treatment until very recently. It’s been much tougher on him than I could have imagined at the beginning, but with the amazing team at Oxford and our support network he’s through the worst of it for now (we are waiting on results to find out if it’s spread to his bone). I can’t give any advice about your tracheostomy’s concerns I hoped it might be useful sharing dad’s experience. I would say though reaching out to Macmillan or Maggie’s when I needed advice (medically, emotionally or financially) was the biggest help ever!

wish you the best of luck and feel free to reach out to me if you want.

Lucie