My cousin Female 24 years had just had base tongue cancer surgery. She was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma 3 weeks ago.

Question now is should she go for Radiotherapy or Chemo. Is Radiotherapy recommended in this situation. We need some authoritative advice, so we can move forward with the treatment.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Vinod K Joshi,

Hello Asad

Sorry to hear about your cousin sister. You need to speak to her oncologist with regard to the options and discussion of merits and side-effects of each. The decision is to some degree individual to the case. Pray she recovers well from her treatment. Let us know how she gets on.

Best wishes
Vinod

p.s. in case anyone is wondering what was edited in Asad's post, it was just to correct a typo (toungue) in the message heading.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Vinod K Joshi,

Asad, very sorry to hear this awful news. Your cousin is so young to have this to deal with. But as you will learn on this site, CANCER doesn't care!! Radiation is USUALLY the treatment for ORAL CANCER. I was told with mine that CHEMO wouldn't do ME any good. THIS IS ME--OKAY. I have had many "NEW" friends that I have met while having ORAL CANCER and they to have only had radiation. Asad, the very 1st thing she MUST do is ASK QUESTIONS!!! I mean every and any thing that comes to her mihd. She needs to have rested and then go into the doctor's office ready to ask questions and get some answers...NO ONE CAN DO THIS FOR HER---This is something she will have to do herself....I will add her to my prayer list.....God Bless.....Vicki Lynn

Hello Asad,

Your cousin is lucky to have someone in the family who is already helping, researching and being proactive. There is a lot to be said for taking an active (rather than passive) role in all phases, particularly when making decisions about treatment. I was my husband's best advocate and viewed his cancer as the biggest, most important personal "project" of my life (and his!), learning all I possibly could in order to assist him throughout every aspect of his ordeal, and after.

My husband was also diagnosed with base of tongue cancer that had spread into the right neck lymph nodes. His cancer was considered to be stage IV. We were told by his oncology medical team that:

A. Radiation is a must
B. Chemo by itself will not do it
C. *Radiation/chemo is the best course

*The combination of the two treatment types was preferred in my husband's case because his cancer had spread into the neck nodes. (When that happens, sometimes it's the disease in the nodes that becomes most worrisome. In the case of just a tongue tumor, I'm told the "cure rate" is best. With the spread to the nodes, it gets a little more complex.) With my husband's treatment plan... Apparently, the radiation would tackle the tongue tumor (and neck disease) and chemo might be effective just in case "micro-metastasis" existed. (That is, because the cancer had gotten into his neck nodes, it was possible that little hidden "colonies" of cancer cells may also subsequently exist elsewhere in the body, although likely undetectable on scans, until a sizable enough tumor perhaps formed later on. So, just in case pockets of cancer cells were present anywhere else and they could not yet detect them, the chemo was given too... in hopes of destroying any "micro metastasized" disease colonies.)

The combo treatment worked. One year later, scans continue to reveal no cancer present anywhere in his body. So, my husband is considered to be in remission, praise God in Heaven!

Your cousin has at least one very positive factor in her favor... and that's her age. (It is enormously unfortunate that she has to deal with tongue cancer at an age when life should be the absolute BEST... but, being young and hopefully in good health otherwise... your cousin will be more physically able to withstand treatment, combat the disease, and then heal, likely better than people who are quite a bit older.)

Even at age 51, my husband was considered younger than many other cancer patients and, because he was otherwise healthy, his medical team opted to treat him very aggressively for his cancer, apparently giving him a better chance to beat it. In fact, he intially received radiation twice a day (although after about two weeks, he was no longer able to tolerate two, and they started doing just one a day)... in addition to four separate weeks of round-the-clock chemo (cisplatin and 5FU) as an in-patient. In all, he had a total of 52 radiation treatments.

Just like you're doing, continue to play a big role in your cousin's battle against this disease. Every cancer patient needs an advocate... someone who listens to the medical providers (and takes notes!) when the patient may be too ill or distraught to do so... someone who transports the patient to/from appointments... someone who sits down and makes sense of a sometimes confusing and complicated daily medication schedule (that tends to change frequently)... someone who oversees the medical bills/insurance matters... someone who just deeply and unconditionally loves the person who is suffering through one of the most frightening (and lonesome) experiences ever.

The caregiver has a big role, but so worth it knowing just how important a good outcome MUST be and doing everything humanly possible to achieve it on behalf of the person you love.

I wish your cousin (and you) the very best. I hope you will post a note on this site from time to time about how things are going. Let me know if you have any questions that I might be able to answer along the way. I have an acute interest in base of tongue cancer, obviously, and want to help if I can.

Last tip... In a very short while, your cousin's entire medical team should know you very well. (They should almost be able to recognize who you are on the phone without even stating your name.) Let them hear you loud and clear... questions, suggestions, comments, complaints, fears, frustrations, triumphs, gratitude... all of it. Make sure they know that you are your cousin's voice/strength/ally from the onset... and that you are monitoring and looking out for her best interest. Work with the docs in a positive and respectful, yet assertive manner. You are every bit as vital to cuz's care and outcome as they.

I, too, shall be praying right along with you.

Take care and, remember, there are people on this message board who want to help... and listen. Rely on the support.

From my heart,

Melanie