Diagnosed today with HPV tonsil cancer

You will have xrays to see if you require tooth removal. This is if you require radiotherapy 

Teeth get damaged 

Having no damage to lymph node is a bonus 

CT scan  will help to give a more accurate indication

You may also have a pet scan but probably not as none showing in your nodes

Any reassurance you need ask your team to explain for you. 

Stay positive 

I'm on the journey too

hi Ray

sorry you find yourself here. The most common treatment route seems to be RT, sometimes with surgery, I guess depending on exact size, location of the tumor. It is very effective, particularly for HPV driven cancer  

the chest scans are also normal - they are being thorough and making sure they know what they’re dealing with. I suspect everyone here had one ( or more!)

Woodz

Hi thank you for your reply. I thought just radiotherapy was treatment for tonsil cancer? Is chemoradiadtion for more advanced cancers 

Im having 6 chemo 

30 radiotherapy 

My cancer is 

1.back of tongue

2.left side toncil

3 left side nodes

Chemo at full bored  on left

Lower power on right as a precaution 

Both are normally  given depending on the stage of cancer 

Stay strong 

You've got this 

Good morning,so sorry to hear about your news,as a fellow wife/mother, I can feel for you. I remember the day when we got my husbands diagnosis,T4N3M0, emotions are all over,dental treatment prior treatment is routine,to check if teeth could be potentially a problem,only damaged teeth get removed,or so we got told,as my husband had one removed. My husband had all sorts of scans and MRIs,just to make sure all areas were covered to get the right action plan. In my husbands case it was decided to have 30 cicles of RT,Monday to Friday,  and 2 rounds of cisplatin,one in the beginning and the second towards the end, these two days ended up to be very long and draining. May I add that cisplatin is one if the stronger form of CT and unfortunately my husband has now some longterm side effects.  But I can't think about the alternative. Fasting forward, my husband is now 13mths post treatment and doing somewhat well. On this note,stay strong and positive. It's gonna be tough,but it's doable.  All my best for you and your family. Mel x

Hi Ray....sorry to read your news but you are in a good place here with lots of good people ready to help.

Rayray41 said:

Today I was told that I will need a chest CT and dental X-rays. I was told that I will need chemoradiadtion but from the booklet i was given this is for locally advanced cancers? and I’m pretty concerned, after being told I need a chest CT. I’m not sure if this is usually what is done? I asked if they needed to do any other scans on my neck, or biopsies and don’t. Could do with connecting with others 

The chest CT is normal procedure. Spread to the lungs is rare but your team would be failing you if they didn't check. Your dental X-ray will be an OPG (which is one that takes in your whole mouth). If you are going to have radiation any diseased teeth that will likely cause trouble in the future have to come out.

Scans? I just had the MRI which evaluates the neck too. Before radiotherapy starts you will get a planning CT with a head mould we all call a mask (to keep you still and in an identical position during every treatment) After treatment you'll likely get a PET?CT to check all the cancer is gone.

As far as the chemo radiation is concerned it seems to me that lots more people are having g chemotherapy added even at low grades of cancer. I was T2N0M0 (no lymph node spread) and got just RT. Lately I'm seeing identical diagnoses getting CRT. I can't offer an explanation. It's something to ask your oncologist.

All this is really daunting and there is no doubt the treatment is a real challenge but it's doable and curative. Nobody gets all the side effects and not everything happens at once.

Have a look at this thread which might be of some help 

Helpful Tips

Lots to take in during the next few weeks, scans and X-rays are the norm, checking to see if the cancer has spread and for dental issues, chemo gives an extra boost to cure rate, PEG/RIG feed tube fitting may also be discussed.

good luck

Hi Ray, welcome to the group. It is terrifying to be told you have cancer; however these types of cancers are very curable, the treatment returns a cure rate of up to 95%. Having a CT scan is the usual thing they do, so don't worry about that. There are many of us on here who have had the same and have been treated successfully, and there's no reason why you won't be the same. Stick with us we are all here to help with any questions or worries you have.

Ray.

Rayray41 said:

Hi thank you for your reply. I thought just radiotherapy was treatment for tonsil cancer? Is chemoradiadtion for more advanced cancers 

Have you had a staging yet? 

No, cancer nurse said at this point the consultant thinks it’s early re biopsy and MRI but I’ll have to wait for the chest CT and the next MDT to find out stage. Thank you for your reply btw, really appreciate it x