Missing Radiotherapy sessions and the impact this might have on the overall outcome..

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Hi,

My husband was diagnosed with base of tongue cancer back in Jan and has now completed 30 of his 33 sessions of radiotherapy together with his chemo.

He was actually told the full treatment schedule would include 30 sessions and 2 chemotherapy infusions with Cisplatin but on his final day of Radiotherapy on Friday 7th April they dropped some unwelcome news on him telling him that because he was on a clinical trial it was 33 sessions of radiotherapy and not 30 as standard.

The issue is my husband is in a lot of pain and thinks he has reached his pain threshold now and can't go any further. He was extremely disappointed and upset that they told him about an extra 3 sessions when his focus and mind set was to complete his treatment on the 7th April.

I guess the main question he has is what might the consequences be to his health if any, if he decides not to attend the last 3 sessions Monday to Wednesday this week?

The other questions he has is whether the amounts of these last 3 radiation sessions have been worked out precisely to get the same amount of radiation as the previous 30 sessions, or is each separate session worked out one by one each day so that not going for 3 sessions would mean you have not received enough radiation?

How will not having these 3 sessions affect the outcome overall of his treatment?

He wants to remain on the clinical trial.

Any help and suggestions would be most welcome.

Thank you very much.

Sophie66 over 2 years ago

Hi Narissa

I think this is a question you ought to put to your husband's medical team. Ask if you can see the doctor before the next radiotherapy treatment and see what his take is on things are. I did this when I was thinking of dropping out of radiotherapy and it was a most helpful discussion. Needless to say in my circumstance as I was only into week 4 of the radiotherapy he recommended that I finish the course to give me the best chance of recovery and I did as he suggested. However your husband's circumstances are different to mine and you may get a completely different response.

Lyn

Sophie66

Beesuit over 2 years ago

Hi Narisa.

As Lyn says it's a question for his team.

I was told I had to have all my RT or I increased my risk of recurrence

Being taken off the trial is a possibility because he will no longer fulfil the trial criteria

I took a heck of a lot of morphine when I was in treatment. I was told I could take Oramoroph every two hours if needed and I almost did in the first two weeks after treatment. It made me sleep a lot which at the time was a good thing.

Good luck for today

Dani

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

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RadioactiveRaz over 2 years ago

Hi Narissa as others have said ask his team I had 35 sessions it was oramorph ci codomol and sleep that dragged me through that last week. I knew my treatment

had been targeted for 35 so wasn’t an option for me to miss out.
best wishes Hazel

Hazel aka RadioactiveRaz

My blog is www.radioactiveraz.wordpress.com HPV 16+ tonsil cancer Now 6 years post treatment. 35 radiotherapy 2 chemo T2N2NM.Happily getting on with living always happy to help

2 videos I’ve been involved with raising awareness of HNC and HPV cancers

https://www.instagram.com/merckhealthcare/reel/DBs8Y0niJ8N/

https://oraclehnc.org.uk/signawaycancer

Narisa over 2 years ago in reply to Beesuit

Thanks for all your helpful comments. I got in touch with the medical team this morning and they politely said it's definitely in his best interests to continue and finish the schedule because he doesn't want to be taken off the trial.

The good news is I've finally managed to convince him to go in today after some persuasion and lots of oral Morphine every two hours. Deep down he knows it's in his own interests and he actually seems a little better this morning so hopefully, no problems with the mask later!

Thanks again for all your wise comments. I'm so glad I found this forum! xx

RadioactiveRaz over 2 years ago in reply to Narisa

One day at a time you’ll both get there. The last weeks hard but the end results are worth it. When treatments finished it’s hunker down time. Thus time next year you’ll look back at this time.
Hazel x