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Oncologist wants to stop treatment

Hopepy87
  • 27 replies
  • 90 subscribers
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Hello, my husband has base of tongue and lymph node cancer - T4N1M0 and has had 29 out of 35 radiotherapy treatments and 2 out of 3 chemo treatments so far. He is really unwell with it all. Terrible throat pain, coughing up blood in phlegm, dysphagia, sickness, red raw on neck, can hardly speak He’s hunched over in pain. He’s now on Fentanyl patches whilst also having oramorph and dissolvable paracetamol. Peg tube feeding. Nothing orally. The Oncologist saw him today and is cancelling last chemo. Dr said not everyone has the last chemo so not to worry. Dr wanted to stop radiotherapy but my husband said no. He asked if he stopped radiotherapy would this be a bad outcome and Dr didn’t answer. Has anyone else experienced this? And what was the outcome? So worried please help x

  • Hi Hopepy87, welcome to the group. I'm sorry to hear your husband is feeling so unwell, I was due to have 6 chemo days, but they said I wasn't well enough to have the last one. Lots of people miss the last one, it doesn't make any difference really.

    Ray.   

  • in reply to old biker

    Thank you so much for your quick reply - that is very comforting to know that it won’t really make a difference missing the last chemo .

  • Hi. My last chemo was cancelled as you’ve been told it’s quite common. Radiotherapy is the main course of treatment chemo is a top up it helps make the tumour responsive to radiotherapy but as u said it’s common for us not to have all the doses. . I m 7 years post treatment so try not to worry. 

    Hazel zx

    Hazel aka RadioactiveRaz 35 radiotherapy and 2 chemo  3 rd cancelled. HPV tonsil cancer 7 lymph nodes. 8 years post treatment living a great life. 
    No questions too daft to ask. 

    I’m also an ambassador for https://oraclehnc.org.uk/
    A leading head and neck cancer charity. 

    This is a link to a webinar i did with Oracle explaining the process of diagnosis. 

  • in reply to RadioactiveRaz

    That’s lovely to hear that you’re 7 years post treatment. Thank you we feel more reassured about missing last chemo. Just hope he can make it to the end of radiotherapy.

  • Hi Hopepy87, I'm just over a year out of treatment, and I missed my last 2 chemo sessions due to being in hospital and too unwell to see them through.. 

    Loz (63)

    Oropharyngeal right tongue base T2N2bM0 squamous cell carcinoma p16 positive.. 

  • Hi  

    I can't help with the chemo as I avoided it. Just wanted to send you both a virtual hug

    I'm glad he's trying to finish the RT. That is the main treatment....the chemo is used to make the cancer more sensitive to it. 

    Dani 

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

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

    Community Champion badge

  • in reply to Hopepy87

    Hi he will do one day at a time.  I did 35 radiotherapy sessions the last 2 weeks were hard but day by day I got there he will as well. I can’t recall anyone not completing radio. Even during Covid we had people who caught Covid but still had radiotherapy.  Hugs from me. 

    Hazel xx

    Hazel aka RadioactiveRaz 35 radiotherapy and 2 chemo  3 rd cancelled. HPV tonsil cancer 7 lymph nodes. 8 years post treatment living a great life. 
    No questions too daft to ask. 

    I’m also an ambassador for https://oraclehnc.org.uk/
    A leading head and neck cancer charity. 

    This is a link to a webinar i did with Oracle explaining the process of diagnosis. 

  • Hopepy87 said:
    Dr wanted to stop radiotherapy but my husband said no

    I’m glad he’s trying to get through. He was prescribed that extra week for a reason. Even if it means he might need a short stay in hospital afterwards it will be worth it. 

    Dani 

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

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

    Community Champion badge

  • in reply to Beau Chapeau

    Thank you for your reply and glad to hear you’re doing well x

  • in reply to Beesuit

    Thank you for your very kind words - he’s done his radiotherapy today - now just 5 more to go. He’s being so brave as you all have been x

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