SCC HPV+ with unknown primary

Hello, again, everyone. I've been away from the site for awhile and wanted to stop by with my treatment plan. I was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma HPV positive in a left neck lymph node in April of this year (2021). After several nasal scopes, CT scan, and a PET scan, no additional sign of disease has been found. (Praise God!) I have absolutely no symptoms and feel great. After much thought and prayer, I've decided not to proceed with additional surgery and radiation unless a "target" becomes obvious. Both the ENT surgeon and the radiation oncologist told me that it's very possible that my immune system has already taken care of the residual cancer, so that's the scenario I'm going with. I'll be checked every 3 months by the ENT surgeon and every 6 months by a CT scan and the oncologist. It's certainly unnerving to not have a definitive primary, but it's not worth it to me at my age to remove tonsils, base of tongue, and more lymph nodes, and/or burn the h*** out of my mouth, throat, and neck just in case something is still there (plus, I'm claustrophobic, so was experiencing severe anxiety just thinking about wearing a radiotherapy mask). I've been concentrating on boosting my immune system, primarily with diet changes - low sugar, large amounts of fruits and vegetables, but also immune boosting teas and supplements - and living life with as much prayer and positivity as possible. I feel good about my body's ability to hold cancer at bay, which it apparently has been doing for the past 8 months (I first noticed the mass in my neck last October). It was starting to look like either road - massive treatment or minimal - was going to be a coin toss for possible long term impact on my life, so I'm going with the "first, do no harm" method of treatment (well, non-treatment). I'd love to hear from anyone else taking the non-traditional route for dealing with their cancer. Take care.