Cancer

Since 2000, I have had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a malignant salivary gland cancer. This page links to the various articles and blog posts I have written about it. If this is new to you, the best places to start are the story of my original operation and my reflections on one of the major lung operations.

Timeline

2000-07: initial lump appears in neck
2001-04: surgery to remove lump; diagnosis (8 weeks before university final exams)
2001-06: exploratory neck operation, repeated due to excessive bleeding (big writeup of this period)
2002-09: Scar revised to try and improve it
2005-01: Lump found in floor of mouth and partially removed; discovered to be primary; lumps found in lungs
2005-04: Second mouth operation to remove the rest; mouth floor repaired with part of tongue :-)
2005-12: More scans done of the lung metastases
2006-04: First lung cleaned out
2006-05: Second lung cleaned out
2006-06: Additional lump found in neck
2006-08: Lump removed; radiotherapy prescribed for the neck to reduce chance of local recurrence
2006-11: Radiotherapy (big writeup)
2007-10: 6cm lump found in liver (pictures)
2007-12: Liver lump removed
2009-04: Rediagnosed with lung metastases
2010-07: Kidney metastasis found

At the moment, the lung metastases are static and the kidney one is growing slowly (2 cm every 6 months or so). I am scanned every six to twelve months; if any of my current tumours start causing symptoms, my doctors will propose an operation.