There are around 200 different types of cancer. My dad got diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer called Tonsil Cancer/Tonsillar Cancer. Cancer of the tonsils can be of different type. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type, while Lymphomas of the tonsil are the second most frequent malignancy. My dad has squamous cell carcinoma.
Around 20-30 years ago, the vast majority of patients with this type of cancer were very old men who had spent their lives smoking heavily and drinking hard (hm…this is hardly the way I see my dad!!). However, this has changed and recent research has confirmed the shift in the dominant demographic for tonsil cancers from older smoking men to a bit younger healthy non-smoking men. For example, smoking has decreased substantially during the last 30 years in Sweden. However, the incidence of tonsil cancer has increased in the last 30 years in spite of reduced prevalence of known risk factors such as smoking. This can be explained by now known other risk factors such as viruses. It is also thought that there may be a connection between the disease and inflammation. Chronic inflammation in mouth, nose or throat may therefore also increase the risk.
Even food may play a role such as deficiency in fruit and vegetables.
However, the causes of this type of cancer are not known by detail.
So where do my dad fit in?
My dad is not VERY old, he is 62 and has never been ill until this year, infact always good results at health check ups. He does not smoke and does not drink much either, (just the normal glass of RED together with dinner at the weekends, and a glass of his finest whiskey now and then). Oh, but one thing, my dad is not overly in love with vegetables!! Should he have been eating more carrots and broccoli!?!?! ;-)
No, I don’t think its any point of speculating about causes….its here, and this is NOW and we have to look forward and together we will beat Mr Cancer.
As my dad said: “I just have to make sure I am within these 60%......”
A good link about fact about Tonsil Cancer(even if its more focused on prevalence of HPV in Tonsillar Cancer) is:http://diss.kib.ki.se/2008/978-91-7357-587-4/thesis.pdf
Och om ni hellre vill läsa på svenska så finns lite information på: http://www.cancerfonden.se/templates/Information____47.aspx?fulltext=1
Just a note: When you read about cancer on the web, please remember that the research goes forward constantly and treatments are improved and survival rates goes up. Also remeber that chances of survival and what is best treatment in each case will be specific for each patient.
Kom ihåg att när du läser om cancer på webben så ska du alltid tänka på att forskningen går fort framåt och behandlings metoder ändras och förbättras. Tänk också på att chansen att bota och vilken behandling som är bäst varierar stort och är specific för varje patient och kan skilja mycket från statistiken som finns.
Hello, Malin,
ReplyDeleteI read your Blog, and hasten to reply as a person who has just come through Tonsil Cancer. I am a 65 year old man who smoked cigars and drank whiskey for 45 years. I was diagnosed with TC in Dec. 2006, went through 3 courses of chemotherapy over 9 weeks, and then went to radiation every week day for 7 weeks for a total of 35 sessions, finishing in May 2007. Since then I have had PET and CT scans alternating every 3 months. And they are all negative, sol the cancer is gone--so far. They measure survival over a 5-year period, and my next goal is still to be cancer free in 3 years.
I would like to share with you my experience, so you can have an idea of how someone else has coped with it. Throughout, however, I would urge you to remember that everyone is different, and everyone will have a variation on what others have had. This is extremely important for you to understand. Your father's doctors will tell you and him that everyone is different in response to your questions about what to expect. And it is so true. Don't think they are dodging the question--truly, everyone is different. All you can derive from hearing anecdotes about how other TC survivors have coped with treatment and recovery is insights into their experiences. Do not, however, think that your father's experience will follow. It may share some characteristics of other people's experiences, and it may engender a whole new set of experiences that you hadn't heard about before. So listen to what other people tell you in that spirit.
This form of cancer is said to be treated in extremely aggressive fashion, and therefore the discomfort is also pretty severe. But in no way is it insupportable.
There are a number of side effects that are the worst part of the recovery process, making one think that the cure is worse than the disease. And that is pretty much the case.
The Tonsils, being where they are, must be radiated directly thereby jeopardizing the tongue, esophagus, and salivary glands. The result, in my case, is that my salivary glands do not work any more, and I must keep water handy to hydrate my mouth. Furthermore, my taste buds are not working very well. Finally, owing to the radiation making the tissue in my throat and epiglottis very fibrotic, my swallowing is not as efficient as it was BC (before cancer), and I continue to take most of my nutrition in a liquid form through a tube in my chest. But all of these side effects, you must agree, are a minor price to pay for still being alive.
One thing I would recommend is be sure that your medical and radiation oncologists have experience treating head and neck cancer, and specifically tonsil cancer. This is a rare form of cancer, and physicians who have not treated it before will be challenged.
An excellent resource is the Head and Neck Cancer message boards at www.cancercompass.com
I am very pleased to be able to offer you the benefit of my experience, and hope you will get in touch with my if there is anything at all I can do or questions that I can answer. You may write to me at.
ESRipVW@aol.com.
Edward S. "Rip" Van Winkle
Anna Maria Island, Florida
that's my dad above (rip) so I know what you are going through. it's a very powerless experience, having a loved one go through an illness. you want to help, you want to manage it for them, you want to yell at the doctors, you want to kiss the nurses, etc. etc. and all you can do is be there i guess. my father's and my relationship has been up and down through this process, so i guess we aren't in the exact same position, but having had my best friend go through cancer at the same time as my dad, i have to tell you, statistics mean nothing. i don't know why they keep them, or why they tell them to patients. statistics, no matter how dire or how positive, really are only numbers. the only thing you have is this present moment. and the next. my friend chris, when he was sick with hodgkins disease and was really scared about the statistics, would talk him through situations by simply saying, ok, well i'm here now, and that's ok. i'm thankful for my life, and i'm going to get through this. thinking ahead to "survival rates" and the rest is just a diversion that can stress you out. coming back to now, knowing that right now is all you need, doing what the doctors say, and bringing every bit of love and humor to the situation. since i've never gone through cancer, only through friends, this is the best i can offer. i know it's scary. i wish you all the best. you guys will beat this.
ReplyDeletelots of love, from san cristobal de las casas, pieter van winkle
Thank you both for your emails! I really think it helps to hear from people who may have been in a similar situation, and that is one of the reasons why I started this blog.
ReplyDeleteMalin
:-)
The simplest way to understand tonsil cancer malignancy and additionally consider a good good treatment plan? Knowledge primary triggers together with first signs and symptoms are often very useful many of these cases. Tonsils carry out a huge role during continuing growth of defense system in children plus develop an important part involving neck and head areas. Subsequently, any disorder in tonsils may straightaway have an impact on chatting plus choosing competencies on the individual.
ReplyDeleteFor more information about tonsil cancer treatments and symptoms of tonsil cancer
,do check out my friend's website symptoms of tonsil cancer.There's lots of useful information and he offers a complimentary service too!
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