Update from 1/29/10

On Friday we had our follow-up visit with Dr. Gillen (Tony's ear, nose, and throat doctor). He took a look at Tony's throat and said that he is healing nicely. We won't have to see him (unless we want to) until his radiation/chemo/surgery/whatever is finished. We'll be going to the Cancer Center on Monday to see what they recommend as far as treatment.

We also asked the doctor what stage Tony's cancer was, and he responded, "You really want to know?" (I'm pretty sure this is on the "Top 10 List" of things I don't want to hear a doctor say.)

Cancers are typically staged with a roman numeral from one (I) to four (IV) with Stage I being the least invasive and stage IV being the most invasive. Can anyone guess which stage my over-achieving husband is? That's right! Stage IV. Now before anyone starts putting on sackcloth and ashes, it's actually common for this type of cancer to be found in later stages, and that's because it's somewhat hidden. For instance, if you guys and girls are doing breast and testicular self-exams (like you should be!) then breast/testicular cancer can be found by means of a lump or nodule. However, this started in his tonsil, and he had no symptoms whatsoever until the swollen lymph node showed up on his neck, and we took action at that point. So, although this one was unavoidable, some cancers can be caught much earlier, so do your self-checks and go to the doctor regularly. There, I'm off my soapbox.

There is also a more specific staging system used for head and neck cancers, called the "T,N,M" system. "T" stands for "tumor," "N" stands for "lymph node," and "M" stands for metastasis. This method stages the cancer using information about how big the original tumor is, how many lymph nodes are involved, and if there is any distant metastasis (i.e. if the cancer has spread to a completely different part of the body). The doctor said Tony would be considered a T 2/4, N 2a, M0.

The original tumor would be considered either a two or a four. Based on its size alone, it would be a "2", but there was evidence of microscopic cancer cells at the edges of the tonsil, so you could also consider it a "4" because it was trying to crawl out (as I call it). The lymph node part, "N2a" means two lymph nodes on his neck are involved. The "2a" part could be worse, as there is also "2b" and "2c." Lastly, that little "zero" after the "M" is a very, very good thing; it means we have no evidence of distant metastasis (cancer elsewhere in his body).

So...the next step will be visiting the Cancer Center on Monday, which, oddly enough, we're both looking forward to. I think we're just ready to get the ball rolling on this. The doctor also commented that he thinks Tony will do very well with treatment because he's a positive person and seems to take things in stride. We're both incredibly stubborn, and I think this is one circumstance where our stubbornness will serve us well.