HPV Throat Cancer

Posted by fxdwing @fxdwing, Sep 27, 2018

Looking for others to discuss this type of cancer. Treatments, success rate, etc. I have been treated but it has returned.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Head & Neck Cancer Support Group.

My SCC was in the external ear canal and non-hpv but in 2012 I had 35 radiation tx while doing 7 cetuximab (Erbitux) treatments....a targeted therapy. I believe that is approved for use in recurrent H & N cancer now. Dr. Price at Mayo really liked that type of chemo to sensitize the tumor during the radiation. I also have met several other H&N patients at the immune therapy clinic in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, where I have continued immune therapy treatment since the end of radiation. You can look into this via the website immunetherapy.net. The clinic has just reopened in a new location with a new medical director after being closed for 2 years. It does seem to help in the battle against SCC, and I credit it with prolonging my life, as it has done for many others. First and foremost, though, is to follow thru with traditional medicine. Also look into research about Beta glucan as an immune system modulator. You can purchase it yourself but there are good and poor products out there.

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Hi lynalexa. I am also truly sorry for the recurrence; but I concurre with jeffk, you are in the right place and you will get the best treatment available in the country. That being said, we all are here to support you and talk about it as much as you need or want. We all know what you are going through. Each single day is a blessing though most very though when you are going through treatment. But you can do it and you will.

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Hello
My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer last August. He went through 35 rounds radiation treatments and 2 rounds of Chemo
He is cancer free BUT he can NOT swallow now. He was just put on a feeding tube as he was starving. Does anyone else have this issue? What can he do? He can eat crunchy cookies only. PLEASE if anyone went through this or has any recommendations please advise. Thank you

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@donnarebar

Hello
My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer last August. He went through 35 rounds radiation treatments and 2 rounds of Chemo
He is cancer free BUT he can NOT swallow now. He was just put on a feeding tube as he was starving. Does anyone else have this issue? What can he do? He can eat crunchy cookies only. PLEASE if anyone went through this or has any recommendations please advise. Thank you

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I've had chronic throat cancer since Jan 2019 and underwent 35 doses of proton beam radiation at Mayo Rochester and had 6 doses of chemo. It was hard. Sounds similar to your dad. I was 63. They put a feeding tube in me 3 weeks into treatment. i wish i had it done at the outset. My tumor was on my epiglottis and the radiation fused my esophagus so i could not swallow for a long time. After 15 months on a feeding tube it was removed. That was one of the happiest days of my life. It was not the inability to eat-I had plenty of nutrition through the feeding tube but the loss of socialization via food and drink was almost impossible to bear for me.
There was some great rewards-I lost almost 100 lbs., I stopped drinking alcohol for a long period and most important i realized if I got through this I could probably get through anything. It gave me inner strength.

My esophagus is still very narrow. I need to crush pills and swallow them with moist foods. I can't eat very dry or large foods-e.g. beef, however, i don't focus on what I cant eat only on what I can eat and I'm grateful for that. I eat more slowly and smaller portions which keeps me healthy. the adjustment is worth it for sure. I prefer to focus on my abilities not my inabilities and am grateful for that.

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@donnarebar

Hello
My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer last August. He went through 35 rounds radiation treatments and 2 rounds of Chemo
He is cancer free BUT he can NOT swallow now. He was just put on a feeding tube as he was starving. Does anyone else have this issue? What can he do? He can eat crunchy cookies only. PLEASE if anyone went through this or has any recommendations please advise. Thank you

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@donnarebar, how is your father doing with the feeding tube?

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@lynalexa

My husband also went through strenuous treatment for base of tongue cancer from HPV
Petscan in March he was clear, petscan in October he was not. On Friday he underwent a neck dissection at Mayo and we are waiting to see if we can re radiate

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My husband will start radiation and chemotherapy tomorrow for cancer that began at the base of his tongue and spread to lymph nodes on both sides. He had a hard time with the mask at the CT simulation.
How is your husband now? How are you?

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@jnathan

My husband will start radiation and chemotherapy tomorrow for cancer that began at the base of his tongue and spread to lymph nodes on both sides. He had a hard time with the mask at the CT simulation.
How is your husband now? How are you?

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This is my husband also. Cancer at the base of his tongue and connected to his vocal cords. Also in his lymph nodes. Called him a chipmunk because the lymph nodes were so large that were storing the cancer but we are so glad that it hadn’t spread. What issues did your husband have with the mask?

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@jnathan

My husband will start radiation and chemotherapy tomorrow for cancer that began at the base of his tongue and spread to lymph nodes on both sides. He had a hard time with the mask at the CT simulation.
How is your husband now? How are you?

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@jnathan, how is chemo going?

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I was 10 month out from treatment for the back of my tongue and lymph nodes. 5 chemo treatments and 35 radiation. Then 10 months later I had a tumor on my right lung. Removed with surgery in
November’22. Now 4 months later I have another hot spot on my lung.
Dr said the lungs are the only place
HPV-16 travels too.
Has anyone else experienced this
matastisized part of the Cancer ?

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@donnarebar

Hello
My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer last August. He went through 35 rounds radiation treatments and 2 rounds of Chemo
He is cancer free BUT he can NOT swallow now. He was just put on a feeding tube as he was starving. Does anyone else have this issue? What can he do? He can eat crunchy cookies only. PLEASE if anyone went through this or has any recommendations please advise. Thank you

Jump to this post

Very interesting he can eat crunchy cookies. I still have a hard time with anything crunchy, dry, have salt/sugar/sugar substitute. I had swallowing issues after my treatments. I saw Speech Therapy that gave me exercises to do to stretch and strengthen the tongue and muscles of the face and neck. I had a fairly good result. But I do eat with much smaller portions. Chew very well, and use lots of water to “hard” swallow. Wishing your dad the best. Life is so very different.

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