Im new to this forum and I havent had cancer, however during the last year I have had 3 people pass away who all suffered with some sort of cancer. The story I would like to tell you is about my twin sister. She was diagnosed last September with a squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth (inside her cheek) this was a small circle of affected skin in her mouth. The surgeon who saw her told her that her only option was surgery, she would have to undergo a radical neck dissection as it was suspected to be in her lymph glands as well, and part of the cheek removed and replaced with skin from wrist and also a vein from her wrist. She was afraid but was willing to go ahead if it meant that she would be cancer free. The surgeon did the operation in October 2010, she was under anaesthetic for 19 hours. The surgeon told her that he thought he had got clear margins so there would probably be no need for radiotherapy/chemo. Unfortunately when the histology came back this was not the case, but she was reassured that radiotherapy/chem would be a just in case back up treatment. However after undergoing this radiotherapy my sister was left with no room to open her mouth as the tissues had hardened and she couldnt even get a spoon or a tablet in her mouth. The surgeons didnt give her any options or reassurance, when she presented at a clinic appointment with spots on her face she was told after biopsy that the cancer had presented on her skin and that there was nothing more they could do for her she was only 40. As her family we found PDT on the internet (photo dynamic therapy) This is a approved treatment by NICE for head and neck cancers, we were fortunate enough to meet Colin Hopper at London's University Hospital who agreed that he would give her PDT treatment. Unfortunately for my sister this was too late, she underwent the treatment but the cancer had already spread to her lungs and she passed away in May of this year.
The reason I have told you this story is that I seriously believe that if my sister had been given the option of PDT treatment when she was first diagnosed instead of surgery she would be here today.

I dont think that all doctors give patients all the options that are available. And when it comes to this type of cancer I believe speed is of the essence.
killing cancer website

this is the website that pointed us in the direction of Colin Hopper and his team. There are other treatments out there, but unfortunately some consultants are reluctant to refer to a different hospital for treatment.

We thought the surgeon who talked to my sister after her initial diagnosis was giving us all the options, but he didnt, we had to do some research ourselves. Cancer is a horrible disease and you need to know all the facts before making a decision about your treatment. It could be the difference between life and death. I miss my sister so much and she had 2 young children dont be ingnorant in your treatmenbt options xxx