Head and Neck cancers Support Group

I am wondering if anyone's heard of Synovial Cell Sarcoma. It's a type of Cancer (see below for detail):

Synovial Cell SarcomaOBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Synovial cell sarcoma is a mesenchymal tumor predominantly of the lower extremities. Three percent of cases arise in the head and neck region. It is thought that head and neck synovial sarcoma has a better prognosis than tumors of the extremities. Our experience has demonstrated aggressive behavior of this neoplasm in the head and neck. This compelled us to compare our experience with other studies. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: We obtained the records of patients diagnosed with head and neck synovial sarcoma from the Tumor Registry of the University of Louisville School of Medicine (Louisville, KY) and affiliated hospitals for data compiled between January 1990 and December 2000. Data on patient demographics, clinical findings and symptoms, histological findings, treatment, extent of disease, recurrence, and survival were recorded. The literature was reviewed identifying reports of synovial cell sarcoma. RESULTS: Five consecutive patients with synovial cell sarcoma were assessed at our facility. The median patient age was 28.2 years. All of the patients underwent an aggressive primary surgical excision followed by irradiation. All patients received chemotherapy after recurrence. Four of the five patients had local recurrence, and all five of the patients developed distant metastases. Three of the patients have died, and two are alive with evidence of disease. Novel sites are reported including the ethmoid sinus and the parotid gland. This group demonstrated a 40% 5-year overall survival, which was lower than the 60% 5-year survival reported in the literature for all sites. CONCLUSIONS: Synovial cell sarcoma of the head and neck is a disease of young people and carries a poor prognosis. The aggressive nature of the disease may require modification of accepted treatment modalities and sequence.
Anyhow, my husband has had this and received treatment (Chemo and Radiation) to the head since his particular cancer started in the throat. He also had two salivary glands removed causing him to have extreme dry mouth. As a result of the decreased saliva, his teeth have been rotting one by one and it's to the extreme degree now that he is VERY self-concious of his smile. His teeth have turned brown, brittle and deteriorated to the degree that a dentist recommended to build them up so that his bite would better fit his face all a result of the harsh Cancer treatments. In short, his oncologist recommended a specialized dentist to repair his teeth but at a cost of $50,000 which as you all know dental insurance will not cover and we can not afford. Does anyone out there know a way that I can start a charity to raise this money for him and others that suffer from the same thing? I've tried writing to my local news stations and the Tyra Banks show (Tyra, because I happened to be watching her show one day and she had people on that needed their teeth fixed for various reasons and she was funding their dental work) without any luck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Posted on 02/12/08, 02:02 pm