1. < Head & Neck Cancer

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx

Posted by pbnew @pbnew, May 19, 2023

My brother-in-law just diagnosed with this cancer. It was caught early, no spread. Radiation recommended. We would like to hear from anyone who has experience with this. How much radiation? What are the side effects of radiation in this area? Could he lose his voice? He is a musician who sings. Thank you for any responses.

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kmorris1278 | @kmorris1278 | Jul 25, 2023
In reply to @ntodd "Hi, I was diagnosed with Squamous cell carcinoma of the Larynx in 2019. I had treatment..." + (show)
@ntodd

Hi, I was diagnosed with Squamous cell carcinoma of the Larynx in 2019. I had treatment both radiotherapy and Chemo. 35 treatments for a very aggressive form and intensive chemo. Now this is not the same for your brother-in-law. Mine was a stage four and the likelihood of success was very limited.

However, I went ahead with treatment with success or so they say at this point. Each case is very different, different people, different location, different stages of cancer. I have had ongoing problems since. These are swollen larynx, difficulty swallowing, lots of scar tissue, my voice has disappeared. severe coughing bouts when eating as the vocal chords do not close fully, aspirated food particles into the lungs same reason. Extreme bouts of heavy mucus and excess saliva in mouth (so different to many others) Along with lack of taste for around six months. Although I had my teeth looked at and some minor repairs done prior to treatment, I have now had damage to the point of no more bottom teeth and will have to have a plate specially made to fit. No one will remove the last bit of dead teeth as they fear breaking my jaw.

Tell your brother to be warned of all of the above. he may have little to no damage, everything depends on where and how bad the cancer is. I very much hope he has little trouble like many others in the same boat and from your description he should. Good luck to him.

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My dad is currently gong through everything you've just said its awful. I don't know if you have anything you could tell me to try for him to help they diagnosed him as terminal he has Squamous cell carcinoma at nasal pharynx. I'm at a loss I read everything I can find the doctors aren't a ton of help like what to expect or what I need to look for if anything. I want to help him so bad to give him peace of mind he feels in the dark and like they aren't
telling him anything but its terminal but he can continue Chemo that hasn't done anything. My prayers and thought will be sent your way I wish I could do more it's such a terrible cancer for the cancer patients and its a nightmare to watch 24/7 but that's it just watch nothing you can do to help. Thank you for any advice you could give me and my dad!!

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2 replies
pbnew | @pbnew | Jul 25, 2023
In reply to @kmorris1278 "My dad is currently gong through everything you've just said its awful. I don't know if..." + (show)
@kmorris1278

My dad is currently gong through everything you've just said its awful. I don't know if you have anything you could tell me to try for him to help they diagnosed him as terminal he has Squamous cell carcinoma at nasal pharynx. I'm at a loss I read everything I can find the doctors aren't a ton of help like what to expect or what I need to look for if anything. I want to help him so bad to give him peace of mind he feels in the dark and like they aren't
telling him anything but its terminal but he can continue Chemo that hasn't done anything. My prayers and thought will be sent your way I wish I could do more it's such a terrible cancer for the cancer patients and its a nightmare to watch 24/7 but that's it just watch nothing you can do to help. Thank you for any advice you could give me and my dad!!

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I’m very sorry for what you and your dad are going through. My brother in law did not have any chemo. He just finished 4 weeks of radiation. It was rough to go through and now he continues dealing with the side effects. I haven’t heard yet what comes next. It’s very hard to help or comfort someone with a serious diagnosis. There so many unknowns. Don’t give up. Read the book Radical Hope and try some of the recommendations. Consider changing to a whole food plant based diet and no sugar. That includes artificial sweeteners and alcohol. You can checkout drmcdougall.com for more info on the diet. Most oncologists never mention diet. Feeling helpless is devastating but try to focus on the things you can do for him if he is willing. I found Qigong meditations very helpful. Some people follow a fasting regimen to help withstand the chemo. There are YouTube videos about chemo fasting. I wish I could be more help.

REPLY
karlm | @karlm | Jul 26, 2023
In reply to @kmorris1278 "My dad is currently gong through everything you've just said its awful. I don't know if..." + (show)
@kmorris1278

My dad is currently gong through everything you've just said its awful. I don't know if you have anything you could tell me to try for him to help they diagnosed him as terminal he has Squamous cell carcinoma at nasal pharynx. I'm at a loss I read everything I can find the doctors aren't a ton of help like what to expect or what I need to look for if anything. I want to help him so bad to give him peace of mind he feels in the dark and like they aren't
telling him anything but its terminal but he can continue Chemo that hasn't done anything. My prayers and thought will be sent your way I wish I could do more it's such a terrible cancer for the cancer patients and its a nightmare to watch 24/7 but that's it just watch nothing you can do to help. Thank you for any advice you could give me and my dad!!

Jump to this post

My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 larynx cancer in 2021. They gave us very little hope. He had 35 radiation treatments with chemotherapy. He was diagnosed while in ICU after a major fall. He had been misdiagnosed twice for the cancer. So sad. They said he wasn’t going to make it through the treatments because he was too weak but he did. He is cancer free. However has a feeding tube. He can’t swallow anything due to aspiration. So there is always hope! Don’t give up.

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