Hi everyone, I wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone facing head and neck cancer or proton beam therapy.
Over about 18 months, I had persistent tearing and swelling around my left eye. It was treated several times as dacryocystitis, and early biopsies showed a benign papilloma.
Eventually, further tests revealed that the lesion had progressed into a squamous cell carcinoma of the lacrimal sac — a cancer that can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic common tear duct problems.
Once the diagnosis was confirmed, things moved quickly. I had a radical dacryocystectomy in January, followed by referral to the national proton beam therapy centre at UCLH. Because the tumour was close to the skull base and orbit, proton therapy was recommended to give curative treatment while protecting the surrounding structures.
I completed 33 fractions over 43 days, and although the treatment caused the usual skin reaction and fatigue, the team were excellent throughout. My follow up MRI shows no evidence of recurrence, and the area continues to settle as expected after radiotherapy.
Ive been back normal life and working full time since treatment plus 2 weeks. The recovery has been steady, and the outcome has been very positive. I’m sharing this because lacrimal sac cancers are rare, and it can take time to reach a diagnosis — but once you’re on the right pathway, the treatment is well established and highly effective.
If anyone is going through proton therapy or dealing with an unusual head and neck diagnosis, I’m happy to answer questions about my experience.
