just diagnosed

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Greetings fellow travellers; I have just been formally diagnosed with a lateral tongue SCC, T1N2(or3)B,M0. Surgery to remove part of the tongue, stitch and perform neck dissection is planned for 13/3. The consultant tells me I will likely be a full week in Hospital. Can anyone who has been through this share how I can best prepare for surgery and what i can expect in the weeks following surgery? Thanks. 

the consultant tells me the decision to offer radiotherapy will be made about 2 weeks after surgery when the team has biopsy results from both the tumour and the nodes. If radiotherapy is offered he says-as I understand it- , that statistically the chances of non recurrence increase by about 15%. I am trying to work out what this means; is that another way of saying that only 1 in 6 (or so) people derive benefit from radiotherapy? If that is right it seems rather poor odds for a hard, lengthy treatment and lifelong undesired side effects. Am I missing something?

(Fit, active, otherwise healthy 70 year old male). Best wishes to all. 

  • Hi. Have a look at this thread. 

    https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer-forum/f/diagnosis-and-treatment/291708/did-anyone-not-do-radiation-despite-being-advised-to

    This lady has just gone through what is planned for you and is at the point of deciding about radiotherapy 

    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

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  • If that is right it seems rather poor odds for a hard, lengthy treatment and lifelong undesired side effects. Am I missing something?

    PS. Please look at my reply too which addresses the issue of lifelong side effects 

    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

    Community Champion badge
  • Hi Kiff

    Ask your consultant to explain the stats to you again. Risk is a difficult concept and hard to get our heads around. If the RT increases your odds by 15% then that means everyone who does RT has better odds. It does depend on what the non recurrence stats are. If it’s 50%, then increasing those odds from 50 to 65% put them firmly in your favour rather than 50:50. if the odds were already higher, say 70% then increasing that to 85% would mean that the odds of non recurrence become much better. 

    good luck. 

  • That's helpful, thanks..