@woodsy1
Thanks, Woodsy1, Interesting perspective and I have researched things myself in great detail. I'm like you HPVP 16 +, T2N1M0. I did have NavDx before treatment started and of course it was positive. It was described as an opportunity to keep an eye on things going forward after treatment to make sure it hasn't returned. It was never positioned as a mid-treatment option to ease up on radiation or chemo.
I have not been given much opportunity to influence how many radiation treatments ...and they're proposing the standard 7-week course. The one opportunity that I have to limit the cisplatin will be because I'm already hard of hearing, they agreed that after four treatments they would reassess my hearing loss and perhaps cut it off at that point.
Two questions: one: did they give you anything for pain? I ask that because I want to try to keep the swallowing exercises going throughout. Second: Did you also do a swallowing exercise regimen?
Finally, I would say that every time I've raised a deescalated treatment plan they've come back and said that the complications of having to go back in a second time if the cancer reappears are very risky. So that is their rationale I guess, because their job is to kill cancer cells and not have you come back a second time.