Throat Cancer And Hpv

We are in a similar HPV oropharyngeal cancer setting. Our Rad/Onc told us that HPV is generally associated with nonsomkers and generally more treatable. Is it me or is this HNC thing going wild in middle aged men? Our RadOnc said that testing for HPV was not useful but it might be detected on the biopsy but would not really change the treatment plan. We have been given 2 choices: radiation for 30 tx'x with enhanced 2x's daily radiation for an additional 5-9 treatments or 30 radiations and cisplatin weekly for, I forget how many weeks as we havent talked with the med/onc yet. Regardless of cause,stage, location etc it is my impression that they are going to hit you hard with that radiation and if you don't respond (or still have a mass or swollen nodes) they will then do the surgery to resect out the tissue that didn't respond to the radiationl. Did you think that knowing that your husbands tumor was HPV related was improtant in his treatment plan? We may need to go back to the drawing board.

As far as the feeding tube is concerned, I am thinking that it would be nice to have in case a crisis occurred and then you wouldn't have to scramble around to get it placed. Any opposing opinions on that thinking?

What about you spouses out there? Are you guys able to work? I am presently out of work but desperately need to go back as the credit cards are getting heavy and the bills are stacking up!. I don't feel like I can take on a new job and this big assignment together! Any suggestions?

On 8/15/2007 jaknju wrote:

We are in a similar HPV oropharyngeal cancer setting. Our Rad/Onc told us that HPV is generally associated with nonsomkers and generally more treatable. Is it me or is this HNC thing going wild in middle aged men? Our RadOnc said that testing for HPV was not useful but it might be detected on the biopsy but would not really change the treatment plan. We have been given 2 choices: radiation for 30 tx'x with enhanced 2x's daily radiation for an additional 5-9 treatments or 30 radiations and cisplatin weekly for, I forget how many weeks as we havent talked with the med/onc yet. Regardless of cause,stage, location etc it is my impression that they are going to hit you hard with that radiation and if you don't respond (or still have a mass or swollen nodes) they will then do the surgery to resect out the tissue that didn't respond to the radiationl. Did you think that knowing that your husbands tumor was HPV related was improtant in his treatment plan? We may need to go back to the drawing board.

As far as the feeding tube is concerned, I am thinking that it would be nice to have in case a crisis occurred and then you wouldn't have to scramble around to get it placed. Any opposing opinions on that thinking?

What about you spouses out there? Are you guys able to work? I am presently out of work but desperately need to go back as the credit cards are getting heavy and the bills are stacking up!. I don't feel like I can take on a new job and this big assignment together! Any suggestions?

Hi,

I can respond regarding the working. I was treated for stage 3 tonsillar cancer from Jan. 4 - Feb 22. My treatment plan was 35 treatments of Rad. with 3 cisplatin treatments 3 weeks apart. Due to a bad "ringing" of the ears as a result of the cisplatin they switched me to carbotaxol for the last two treatments. I worked almost full time through week 4 then worked part time for a week then had to take 4 weeks off. The main reason was due to mouth  and throat soreness as a result of the radiation. I had a hard time speaking the final week of treatment. I worked part time starting two weeks after my treatment ended then began full time by the end of March. It is important to realize each and every case is different and each persons reaction is different.Work is important financially and as a means of motivation to get through this difficult process. My wife offered me all the help she could and gave me the much needed moral support and more importantly keeping the family running ( we have two young children) . I need to say I would recommend a peg tube prior to beginning treatment. Hydration and nutrition are the two most important issues you will face and both are accomplished much easier with a PEG tube. I also took a glutathione powder twice a day (recommended by the nutritionist to help with mouth ulcers) as well as a liquid vitamin through the course of treatement. I managed to avoid needing pain killers or magic mouthwash by taking good care of my oral health and not forcing food down that would irritate my mouth and throat.This was a BIG advantage of the PEG tube. I still lost 19 lbs. from the time of initial diagnosis, seven due to stress prior to treatment and 12 during the course of it. Nutrition allows your mouth to heal better, consequently your recovery will be quicker.  I am also a non smoking 48 yr old with suspicions my cancer was caused by hpv. HPV related cancers typically respond much better to treatment, this has been documented in numerous recent studies that have come out in the last four months.

Keep your faith strong and attitude good, this is a difficult journey. Take it one day, one treatment, one bad moment at a time. They all will pass, and looking back will fade as life beckons ahead of you

 Matt