Throat cancer

What kind of symptoms are we talking about here?

It all really comes down to where it’s sitting...
With pharyngeal cancer, you often don't feel a thing at first—it's super sneaky like that—but usually, people start noticing nosebleeds or maybe some blood when they cough..
If it's laryngeal cancer, though, you'll definitely notice your voice going hoarse.
And since these things tend to be pretty invasive, they can push against the surrounding tissue, which triggers a whole domino effect of other symptoms and red flags (we're talking full-on cranial nerve paralysis here!)...

My uncle was recently diagnosed with a malignant tumor on one side of his throat, and he’s been prescribed chemotherapy, but the earliest available appointment through his insurance provider isn't for another two months!
I was wondering if anyone knows whether it’s possible to seek out private chemotherapy treatment here in the States to speed things up, and also if there are specific supplements or medications you’d recommend to help bolster his immune system both before and after his sessions.
Thanks so much for any insight.

I’ll go ahead and post this just in case—it might be useful for the "Support for Families Dealing with Malignant and Other Severe Illnesses" group (as they say... time is of the essence, isn't it?). You can find plenty of advice there regarding proper nutrition, supplements, and various other matters—and perhaps someone will reach out to walk you through the specifics of the chemotherapy process itself. It would probably be beneficial if you could specify the exact type of tumor, too. I’m not entirely sure how their private messaging works—though, presumably, someone will contact you directly—but honestly, this two-month wait (!) seems absolutely preposterous to me.

Thanks, coppergardener, I think I’ll try exploring that in a separate thread instead.

About a month ago, my dad was diagnosed with a 3cm malignant throat tumor and one lymph node metastasis in his neck. We were all set for surgery this Friday. All his scans for the upper torso came back clear, so we were just waiting on the procedure. Then everything flipped. We got to the hospital on Wednesday, but before they could operate, he started in intense pain everywhere, so they ran deep scans of his entire body. Turns out, the cancer has already spread to his spleen, right kidney, and liver. Now the doctors are saying surgery is actually counterproductive, so it’s off the table. The doctor told us this is an incredibly aggressive type of cancer. They're looking at heavy chemotherapy, but they won't decide on the specific plan until Wednesday. Right now, he's at home under hospice care, struggling with terrible pain. He's only getting some patches, which help a little, but barely.

I'm asking anyone who actually knows what they're talking about to tell me what we should realistically expect. Please, don't sugarcoat it—we already know things are grim. He's 59 and has basically never been sick a day in his life until now.

Thanks in advance.

Did you actually get a chance to run this by a doctor yet? I mean, what can I even say... honestly, I hope for the absolute best, but dealing with severe constipation and just praying for a miracle is a tough spot to be in. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, truly. It’s heavy stuff to read about, and we all know how much these things can weigh on you, though I do believe that miracles happen when you least expect them. Out of curiosity, was there any history of smoking involved?

Doctors aren't telling us anything; they just drag their feet. If this thing is spreading fast and chemo is the only real option left, why aren't we starting it right now?
Yeah, I'm a smoker!

Someone should just quit smoking right now!

placidrider15 said:About a month ago, my dad was diagnosed with a 3cm malignant throat tumor and one lymph node metastasis in his neck. We were all set for surgery this Friday. All his scans for the upper torso came back clear, so we were just waiting on the procedure. Then everything flipped. We got to the hospital on Wednesday, but before they could operate, he started in intense pain everywhere, so they ran deep scans of his entire body. Turns out, the cancer has already spread to his spleen, right kidney, and liver. Now the doctors are saying surgery is actually counterproductive, so it’s off the table. The doctor told us this is an incredibly aggressive type of cancer. They're looking at heavy chemotherapy, but they won't decide on the specific plan until Wednesday. Right now, he's at home under hospice care, struggling with terrible pain. He's only getting some patches, which help a little, but barely.

I'm asking anyone who actually knows what they're talking about to tell me what we should realistically expect. Please, don't sugarcoat it—we already know things are grim. He's 59 and has basically never been sick a day in his life until now.

Thanks in advance.

I'm really sorry, but honestly, I don't think chemo will make much of a difference once it's spread this extensively. It's clearly very aggressive.

Take care of yourself too; most of these types are hereditary.

It’s pretty clear the cancer has spread significantly. To be honest, predicting how much longer they have is a guessing game. Miracles happen, sure, but we're looking at an incredibly grim situation here. The doctors have basically decided there's no point in trying to surgically remove a throat tumor when it's already migrated to other organs. Following that logic, you'd have to go after metastases in every single organ, which is a surgical impossibility. That leaves chemotherapy as the only option—though it acts systemically rather than locally, if I can put it that way. If the pain becomes unbearable, someone needs to talk to the doctor about stronger analgesics, maybe something on a tramadol or morphine base. No one should have to endure that kind of suffering. Things don't look good, and frankly, I’m feeling pessimistic about this. I don't have much else to offer besides telling you to stay persistent and stay strong. Good luck...

@ Sophia Lopez9: For most cancers, there isn't actually any evidence that they are hereditary. There is a difference between inheriting a disease and simply inheriting a genetic predisposition toward certain types of tumors. In this specific case, I link the throat cancer exclusively to smoking, the dangers of which should go without saying...

I don't think it’s a genetics thing for him. His parents are both doing great, well into their 80s, and the rest of his family seems to have some pretty decent longevity. Honestly, I’d bet it’s just the heavy smoking habit. But what really keeps me up at night is that mole he had tucked under his hair. It finally fell out, and now there's a chance it was malignant all along. He noticed it a few years back but never bothered to get it checked out by a doctor. Just typical.

Thanks!

Man, I’m really sorry you're going through this hell, and I know you're probably tearing yourself apart trying to figure out why this is happening in the first place... Look, there aren't any real rules to life... healthy habits, junk food, smoking, drinking... every story is different and I guess that's just how the cards fall. The best thing you can actually do for your old man right now is just be there, stay by his side because that's what he needs most, and then start leaning on those doctors... push them for real answers, like, "I need to know exactly what my father's condition is, what the plan is, and what the prognosis looks like"... though you'll probably find they dodge that last part... Just stay on their case and don't let them brush you off, your dad deserves at least that much effort. I don't know which hospital you guys are at, but the state of oncology wards in this country is a total disaster thanks to the lack of beds, way too many patients, not enough staff, zero funding, outdated equipment, messy organization, terrible communication between the doctors and the families, and all those "difficult" patients getting in the way...
All I can tell you is that an exhausting fight is ahead of you, so you better dig deep and find every ounce of strength you've got... and just remember, if this feels heavy for you, it's a thousand times worse for him.

P.s. Pain management is doable. It's rarely just one pill; usually, it's a mix of patches and tablets, or even injections in the tougher cases... Best bet is to talk directly to whoever is running his care.

Hang in there and don't back down. 😘

placidrider15 said:I don't think it’s a genetics thing for him. His parents are both doing great, well into their 80s, and the rest of his family seems to have some pretty decent longevity. Honestly, I’d bet it’s just the heavy smoking habit. But what really keeps me up at night is that mole he had tucked under his hair. It finally fell out, and now there's a chance it was malignant all along. He noticed it a few years back but never bothered to get it checked out by a doctor. Just typical.

Thanks!

If you aren't based in NYC, you should definitely head to NYC for an exam!

Well, anything is possible, including the connection to that mole.

placidrider15 said:I don't think it’s a genetics thing for him. His parents are both doing great, well into their 80s, and the rest of his family seems to have some pretty decent longevity. Honestly, I’d bet it’s just the heavy smoking habit. But what really keeps me up at night is that mole he had tucked under his hair. It finally fell out, and now there's a chance it was malignant all along. He noticed it a few years back but never bothered to get it checked out by a doctor. Just typical.

Thanks!

It's certainly possible we're looking at metastases from that mole, though it seems unlikely that it would specifically spread to the throat. It really all depends on the specific type of cancer and what stage it's currently in...

Thanks for the help. Honestly, I feel like I have nobody to talk to about this right now because everyone else just tries to dodge the subject entirely. Anyway, we’re based out of Chicago, and up until now, all his searches and everything else were happening over near Michigan Avenue.