10) Vision Radboud Hospital on the advice Daniel den Hoed Clinic (March, April 2003)
In the Radboud Hospital was felt rare performance of this opinion. Within the head and neck group is vehemently debated, so we understood. Doctors do not like it when others interfere with their work, that's our impression. Eventually it was decided that a PET scan would take place. Only if this would conclusively show that no new tumor activity was halsklierdissectie would be an option. On March 25, 2003 PET scan found this place. And on April 7, we are informed about the results. Almost two weeks later so. Why must everything be so long in the Netherlands?
About the results we are informed by a verbal description by the physician assistant radiotherapy. I mention this so strongly because we have noticed that there are alternatives. We now know that pro Vogl from Frankfurt at shortly after the visit sends a written notice to his patients about his findings. That's very nice, because if patients have, by definition, a large information gap. Moreover, you are very tense during a consultation. Only oral transmission of information in our case several times led to communication problems. Through letters from the specialist to the GP or again by telephone contact, we often find in retrospect that time the specialist with a particular expression or phrase meant.
The radiation oncologist told us that the PET scan activity reflected in various places. Halsklierdissectie was discouraged. First, because a lot of morbidity with major surgery needed, saving Peter permanent damage ensue. Secondly, the likelihood of metastasis which would cause pain underestimated. (Meanwhile, we live in November 2003 - Peter has considerable pain in the neck, probably because the metastasis left presses against nerves.)
Because we also saw that the drawbacks of surgery far outweighed the benefits, the option of halsklierdissectie for us now expired. The physician assistant radiotherapy us then referred to the medical oncology department.
On April 17, 2003, the conversation with the medical oncologist place. This has made it clear that according to the Radboud Hospital no treatment options are aimed at maintaining the overall physical condition and prevent onset of symptoms. What they could offer was a methotrexate-chemotherapy. In her description she emphasized strongly that the chemo had so few side effects. But what about the operation, we asked. That was disappointing: an average of fifteen percent of patients had response, she said. It smacked too much yet to join free treatments, so we thought, and against all odds supporting the pharmaceutical industry. MTX at the fifty percent of patients would reduce complaints, we found less important, because Peter had little complaints. It seemed quite unlikely that this chemo a small tumor of 3.5 cm could get. The chemo so we considered at that time not as a serious treatment services.
