Snuc

Hi,

my 17 year old nephew has been diagnosed with snuc and will begin IMRT

and chemothereapy starting tomorrow. He will be receiving cesplatin and etoposcide. Does anyone have experience with these chemotherapy drugs? He did not have surgery. What is the experience with the radiation therapy? Thanks for your reply, He is being treated at the Cleveland Clinic.

Kittkatt

Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma (SNUC) is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasm arising from the nasal cavity. Fewer than 100 patients have ever been diagnosed, and there appear to be only a handful alive in the US at any one time.

I do not know anything about it, but have heard of SNUC.  I do believe their is a support group/association/study occuring somewhere in the states.  Check out Nasal Cavity section under Oral on this website. 

Rattle, rattle, Rick.

Yes, there are an enormous number of cancers now.  It is not you.  The medical profession is simply able to diagnose and categorize them in unfathomable ways.  My personal belief is that all the "heart attacks" and "strokes" that I heard about as a youth were really misdiagnosed cancers.  Seems like everyone had a heart attack or stroke thirty years ago.  Now I never hear of heart attacks and even strokes less.  Now I hear about cancer all the time, even before we were a part of it.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 

Hi, Kittkatt. I am just about 5 months out of treatment for tonsillar cancer. I had Cisplatin and radiation, and I'll second the opinion that Cisplatin is somekinda nasty stuff. Expect some moderate to severe nausea. Make sure the oncologist prescribes some anti nausea drugs for your nephew, he'll need them. Make sure he gets plenty of fluids, as Cisplatin needs to be eliminated from the body ASAP or he may have some kidney damage. Ringing in the ears is also a common side effect.

I'm sorry he has to deal with something like this so young, but hopefully, before too long he can have this behind him and get on with his life.

Best wishes for both of you,

Mike