Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Tonsil

New to the forum: Hello All and Good Luck:

My Mother is 70 and had a biopsy of a lump in her throat Nov 8. On Nov 14 the ENT Doctor called and said she had cancer. During that week, we (it takes a village to support someone you love going through this) took all kinds of test (PET, MRI, CT, etc). We were told she had Squamous Cell Carcinoma: not knowing the source of the cancer. On Nov 21 she had surgery to remove the lump – of which the doctor saw some abnormality in her tonsil and removed those as well. Today Nov 29, we received the result of all the tests. Cancer sourced and localized to the Tonsils (left I believe).

An appointment is scheduled with the Radiology Oncologist Friday Dec 2. Medical Oncologist Friday Dec 16. My question is – will my mother have problems eating/swallowing once this treatment starts? Any first hand knowledge is appreciated. Also if you can direct me to a website for additional information I would appreciate that as well.

God Bless : BlessedJuly9

Hi! My Dad is in week two of his radiation treatment for cancer of the tonsil and base of the tongue. Side effects normally occur in the second to third week. After five treatments with 200 rads daily, his throat became very sore and he could not eat food because of the bitter taste and difficulty swallowing and nausea. I am a nurse and I am struggling to get him to just drink water and supplements. Thus far, the only thing that he can eat is soft scrambled eggs and grits, chocolate pudding and supplements like boost and prosure. Pain meds are a must as well as viscous lidocaine to numb his mouth. Dad has stage 3 T2N1 oral cancer and he is 75 years old. He was very active and still working until this treatment. Evidently, the radiation makes some foods taste like metal and chocolate drinks taste better. Good luck!

Susan - is your Dad receiving chemotherapy?

No, he is not receiving chemo. The physicians do not think that it will require chemo at this time. The standard of treatment for his staging of the tumor is just radiation. I was very concerned that they were not going to give it to him and they explained that the risk outweighed the benefit. His chance of cure would increase by 5% with chemo, however, the side effects with his age and with mild diabetes was not worth the risk of 5% increase in cure according to the doctors. I now see how toxic chemo can be especially on older people from talking with patients that are receiving it. I just pray the doctors have made the correct decision. Dad is now unable to eat and he has lost 10 pounds in a week. Today he recieved fluids via IV for dehydration and he is supposed to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast very high calories 4 times a day. Nausea is quite a problem because they are radiating so close to the brainstem, so It looks like the doctor was right. What stage is your mother's cancer? T__N__? Tha stage determines the treatment. Susan