Long Term Head and Neck Cancer radiation side effects

Hi @jcl2018 Welcome to the head and neck group. I have not heard of barorecepter failure due to radiotherapy but I think I will look into that for future reference. This cancer, especially the treatment is the gift that just keeps giving. I'm saddened that this is now happening to you after your past experiences. This issue of course could stem from something else entirely such as the Covid vaccine or just one of those things that goes haywire as we progress through life. Radiation however really does a number on us. Tons of fun.
Anyway, I hope someone here has some insight in this particular area and will pop in soon. In the meantime, welcome.

Thank you for the response. Agree this could all be unrelated. `Hence my search for folks treated in the same (2008 give or take) timeframe.

I have found cardiac journal articles talking about baroreceptor issues as a result of radiation therapy on the neck.

The bottom line is I will have the cardiologist and my internist evaluate and plot a plan of attack.

Hi jcl2018, sorry your having health issues.
My wife had a radical neck dissection and adjuvant radiation (RTx) in 1997 for stage IV squamous cell cancer in the left tonsil. She has dry mouth, teeth and swallowing and other issues and eats nutrition shakes and a soft diet using a blender to make most things soup like. Takes LT4 RX and developed RA and got 2 new hips ~ 7 yrs ago but no neck arthritis, cheek tingling, or known heart issues. Unsure if LT4 or RTx had anything to do with RA.
Recent CTs indicate scarring of both upper lungs likely due to RTx.
Tiny calcified granulomas,
Coronary calcification, and Calcified left anterior diaphragmatic lymph node. Unsure of cause of these.
She is now undergoing chemo treatment for pancreatic cancer and the side effects of her 1997 cancer treatments are causing challenges with her current treatment.
Her surgeon from 1997 mentioned to us that the only patients that have issues with long term treatment side effects are the patients that are still living. That helped us and put things in perspective.
Hope that is of some help.
Best to you.

Hi jcl2018,
I was officially Stage IVB T2N3M0 tonsil cancer on my left side caused by HPV and 3 infected lymph nodes. I am 16ys out (2008) where I had 35 rounds of Photon radiation which amounted to 70 Gy (7weeks) and 3 rounds of the platinum-based chemo Cisplatin.
I had other issues come up along the way. So be very aware of what is going on inside your mouth and throat. To name a few off the top of my head, it destroyed my thyroid giving me Hypothyroidism (makes you feel fatigued and most of the time you gain weight too) so now I have to take a pill for it for the rest of my life. Watch your bone structure and tooth decay in that region too- so make sure you go to your dentist every six months. Paralyzed my left vocal cord so my voice is not as loud as it once was, and swallowing has gotten worse but going to a speech/swallowing therapist has helped as I can basically eat anything just may take longer depending on what it is. Scarring of both upper lungs. Had dry mouth so I researched and found electrical stimulation acupuncture in 2015 where I was tested to get a baseline and retested after 8-10 appts. and had great results- never needed to go back and has been fine ever since. Since then, I believe there are other avenues like sprays to help with that. My accessory spinal nerve is damaged (called Brachial Plexus Legions) which is why my left shoulder sags and trapezius muscles wasting away with winging of the scapula. Lastly, most recently likely was my cause of getting tongue cancer this year (2024) as its location was literally next to my left tonsil.

Fortunately, nothing with getting high blood pressure or heart issues.

Hope this helps.
Blessings

Hi everyone. Thank you for the feedback and best wishes to all of you.

I've learned in communicating with various individuals that we all have the same "baseline" side effects (dry mouth, swallowing, impact on lungs, neck/upper spine issues, etc). Beyond that it becomes a bit of a mystery as to the cause of other issues (coronary, calcification, neuropathy, etc). Is it age or treatment related.

Regardless, I'm grateful for everyday and for your feedback.

For what it's worth, there is a 2020 article published by Itzhak Brook in the Journal of Radiation Oncology. It discussed long term head and neck cancer side effects. I've found it useful . Sorry I can't add the link due to website protocols but you should be able to find it on the web if you search his name and the journal.

Thanks Again!

@jcl2018, You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe.

Allow me to post the journal article for you:
- Late side effects of radiation treatment for head and neck cancer https://www.e-roj.org/journal/view.php?viewtype=pubreader&number=1453

Your mention of heart-related issues and seeing a cardiologist tipped me off to let you know about cardio-oncology.

Mayo Clinic offers expertise in addressing heart problems (called cardio-oncology), potential or current issues. The Cardio-Oncology Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/cardio-oncology-clinic/overview/ovc-20442193) evaluates people prior to cancer treatment and patients who have experienced side effects due their treatment.

Might they have a cardio-oncology specialist where you receive care?

Thank you Colleen. I don't know if there is a cardio-oncology group here. I was treated at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. I do plan to ask about chemo impact on cardiac function and radiation impact on baroreceptor function.

Regardless, have to have things investigated.

I will post if I learn anything meaningful.