My husband is having radiotherapy for cancer of the epiglottis, now I know the treatment kills of the cancer cells but what happens to them after that, do they shrivel and disappear or stay there, I ask because my husband had throat problems before the diagnosis because of the squamous cell carcinoma will these problems remain for ever

Hello jen

The radiotherapy damages/kills rapidly dividing cells like the cancer cells. Since the mucosal epithelial cells also divide, they suffer collateral damage (mucositis). Some cancer cells manage to escape occasionally and hence recurrence. If the tumour was causing throat problems, the shrinkage of the tumour will improve matters. However sometimes, because the radiotherapy can damage the tissue, swallowing difficulty can be a side-effect of treatment. Do ask your husband's oncologist about what to expect as each case is different.

Best wishes

Vinod

my husband has squamous cell carcinoma of the epiglottis, I dont think we see the oncologist until the radiotheraphy treatment finishes he is having treatment twice a day for 6 weeks obviously the throat is extremely sore now but we were warned about this.