Neck cancer

Hi I’m Hazel  welcome to the forum I’m 4.5 years post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer ( primary) with 7 affected lymph nodes no surgery as one node was too close to spine. I was treated with chemo radiotherapy the trued n trusted route. Some only  have surgery but often with nodes chemo radiotherapy is also done.Ask if hubby is HPV positive had that does have an effect on outcome if treatment. Any questions just ask. It’s hard but doable. The da Vinci is robotic as far as I know again not unusual. I was 61 when diagnosed. 
blog below might help with links to others. 
The waiting is the worst part. 
Hazel 

Hello. Ask anything you want on this forum - we will all share our experiences & knowledge with you. I had hpv 16 cancer in lymph node in my neck & the primary was my tonsil. 

Hello Hazel,

Thank you for your quick reply. So nice to talk to you.

Hubby said they didn't say HPV as far as he remembers.

I will definitely read your blog.

Paula 

Waiting is horrible.

Thank you

Thank you so much, 

Paula

Hi Paula. You’re welcome. Yes the waiting is the worst it’s the fear of the unknown. I was fit and healthy had just cycled 1100 km in Spain. All I had was a lump in my collarbone  thought I had pulled a muscle how wrong was I. The histology on his cancer might be bsck at hus next appointment it’s a question worth asking. Head and neck h p v cancers are on the rise. You may have seen Martina Navratilova has just been diagnosed with HPV cancer. You’ve found thus site which hopefully will help you. 
Hazel x

Thank you Hazel. I will let you know when we hear anymore news. So good to have found support 

You sound like you are a fit person! My husband is 61, non smoker, vegetarian and doesn't drink much yet still has this!!

Zooki said:

Hello everyone, 

My husband was diagnosed with cancer in his lymph nodes - they say are secondaries - and they need to find the primary site.

He is waiting for surgery to remove the lymph nodes and then they are using the da vinci machine to take skin from tongue and tonsils.

I am scared what the next few months will bring and am pleased I have found thus forum to find out how your stories have gone and maybe help with the questions in my head so that I am strong for my family xx

Hi Zooki, welcome from me too. So sorry to hear about your husband but it sounds like he is in good hands. Hopefully the surgeon will find the primary site which is almost invariably in his tonsils or base of tongue.

TORS is a much less invasive option and you're lucky you have access to it.

We all get HPV. Not all of us get the malignant version but it is common and most people's immune system shrugs it off. The unlucky few of us don't. 80% of oropharyngeal cancers are caused by it.

I was fit, I was a runner. As an adult the only time I went near a doctor was to have my daughter. Out of the blue....enjoying my retirement at 67, I got tongue cancer. The rest is history but I'm on the cusp of 4 years clear and back to normal...except the running.

Stick with us. There are a lot of people here to help when you need it. 

Hi Zooki

Many of us first notice the cancer in a lymph node - they are just doing their job as lymph nodes.  Mine was fount there.  Subsequently they never really found a primary.  That can be worrying not knowing where the source is, but it should not be.  It seems to be more frequent that we we meet people of Cancer Unknown Primary (CUP) on here.  Maybe that is because we are catching them earlier and initially they tumours can be tiny yet still drive the lymph nodes to enlarge.  Treatment is very good and so much better nowadays.  5 year survival rates are very high and the quality of life post treatment is generally good.

Stick around and we will do our best to answer any questions you have - none are too stupid to be asked and all will get a proper answer.

Thank you Dani for your reassuring words x

Thank you so much Peter, it really has made me feel less scared hearing your experiences - which I'm also passing on to my husband.

Paula