My dad, 78, was diagnosed with squamous cell mouth cancer in March. He was otherwise fit and healthy, doesn't smoke or drink, so it was a complete shock to us all. Initially it was treatable with an operation to remove his lower jaw bone, but quickly spread and the operation needed became far too invasive so he decided against it - they were going to attempt to remove his upper and lower jaw bone which he just didn't want to go through with no guarantee of success.
He has a hole on the roof of his mouth that is getting bigger, and the cancer has also spread to his jawbone. He is now also getting a swollen cheek on the same side of his face which i assume is a tumour growing, but as he has been in palliative care for the last few months he hasn't been getting scans or check ups, just morphine to help with pain management.
He had some radiotherapy, but has declined quite quickly over the last month or so. He is struggling to talk, and eating is very difficult so he is losing weight.
I read an article in the guardian about immunotherapy being effective in some people with mouth cancer, and after a bit of a battle with his consultant he is starting Immunotherapy today, being treated with Keytruda/Pembrolizumab.
I just wondered what to expect as I have zero experience of any of this. My mum has had Parkinsons for 13 years and my dad was her sole carer which is further complicating things. And me and my siblings all live a couple of hours drive away.
I am really hoping immunotherapy does something - I know there is no guarantee - but I am unsure of when/if we may see a difference in him, or know whether it is having any effect.
Thanks
Hi Sharpeye and a warm welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to read about your dad's diagnosis but well done for persevering and getting him treatment.
The online community is divided up into different support groups so I'm going to recommend that you join the head and neck cancer group, which is a great place to ask questions and share experiences about that type of cancer and it's treatment, and also the family and friends group which is a safe and supportive place to discuss your worries and emotions.
To join these groups just click on the links I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could pop something about dad's diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help
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