My dad will be 70 soon. He’s been diagnosed with well-defined SCC of the Buccal Mucosa ( cheeks ) and stage 3 but no metastasis . Neither is any lymph nodes affected . Doctors suggest 45 days of radiation 5d/week. However my dad is afraid of the effects of radiation and doesn’t want to go through it. His friends and relatives are also afraid that he will not be able to take it. Has anyone as old /older gone thro radiation ? Do you think he should go through this ? Are there any alternatives ? If he does not get treated – how does SCC progress – will it get painful ?

His doctors should be reassuring him concerning the rt. He should be able to cope with the side effects. He is 70 not 90! If he had surgery and chemo too it would be so much harder so he is fortunate compared to some.. Talk to his doctors and tell them to give him the reassurance that he wants to hear.

good luck - tony k

The alternatives - far worse than the rt I think!

Hello, caregiver!

What tony k said.

Is your dad otherwise healthy? Is he 'afraid of the effect of radiation' only or is he frail, have heart problems, mobility problems, etc? There's 'old' 70 and there's 'young 70' Which is he? Remember - seventy is the new fifty! Older people go through chemo and radiation all the time.

I'm in no way a medical professional, so this just guesswork, but with no node involvement, no surgery and no chemo, if he's otherwise healthy he should get through this with few problems. He'll probably have IMRT (the radiation type) and no feeding tube. After a few weeks he'll have eating problems, fatigue, possible mouth sores, possible skin problems, etc. You can read through the various threads to see what others have experienced. For me, it was all totally doable and I never questioned that I couldn't make it through treatment. It's about 6 - 7 weeks since I finished RT and I'm doing fine and moving on.

To me the most difficult part of the whole process was the period leading up to RT: having the mask fitted, having scans and tests, worrying about everything including implausible scenarios, telling people that I had cancer (again). Once RT began, the fears subsided as I realized, "I can do this." Am I glad I did this? Absolutely. Would I do it again? You betcha' - in a heartbeat.

Does his doc have a bedside manner? It would certainly be helpful for your dad to talk to someone who can allay his fears. If his doc isn't the type, find another - you're always entitled to more than one opinion anyway.

Best of luck to you and your family.
Mimi

Hi Caregiver, My Husband was 69yrs when he was diagnosed with Tonsil scc. He had 2 x Chemotherapy & 34xRadiotherapy. It was,nt an easy treatment , but we are now 3 1/2yrs on,& he is doing really well.
As Mimi says if he is a "young,well"70year old,he should do well also. Lots of good wishes to you & yours. Let us know how he gets on. Fran.

Hi Caregiver,
I really feel you got three people who are very apt in giving their opinions and I stand by each of their observations. It is a very trying time for your Dad and a lot depends on his quality of life he is living right now and his mental make up. I would not really force anything on him as whatever he decides he has done so with a lot of thought and reasoning. I know it sounds cruel - but I feel you should have one more chat with him and if nothing comes out of it - respect what he has decided. Its not a question of age - if he is young at heart or old. The main question is what does he feel about his life.

Well, I do not think I could add anymore then this and am sorry if I have been a bit too blunt on my post as my intention is never to hurt anyone but to say what one knowing that ones own is suffering and does not want to accept it.

Take care,
Ananth

My mum was 75 yrs old when diagnosed with SCC of the tongue. She had partial glossectomy, a muscle flap taken from her tummy, lymph nodes removed, 6 weeks of radio therapy.

She "celebrated" her 76th birthday at home, tied up to a feeding machine, with a tracheotomy to help her breath.

We have just CELEBRATED her 77th birthday on the Greek Island of Kos, where she was given (and ate) 2 birthday cakes - OK not all of them.

We ate out every night, she managed soup, bread, moussaka, ice cream i.e. all the softer stuff.

Go for it - it's a long, hard, bumpy and sometimes terrifying road, but there is life after mouth cancer.