Cheryl, Surgery and/or Chemo and/or Radiotherapy - alone or in combination are standard protocol for SCC treatment. The sequence (Surgery followed by RT or CCRT) and the need (for further treatment) is decided on various parameters like size, location of tumor, structures invaded and risk.

In cases of lateral tongue SCC, I have seen most having surgery first followed by CCRT, if required but that may not be always the only way. My father had surgery first (Partial glossectomy with Selective Neck dissection) but the excised structures and nodes had extracapsular extension, perineural and vascular invasion were present. This mandated him having 59.3 Gy/33 RT with 6 x weekly Cisplatin inj.

The second time, he had his nodal mass in close proximity to critical structures in neck and his surgeon wanted to explore possibility to reducing tumor size to get sufficient margin and go with less radical surgery, hence he asked for Chemotherapy first (3 x DCF regimen), which did not meet with much success in local control but probably (I am hoping) would have prevented further distant mets. He had a radical neck dissection and now is being followed up with 60 Gy/30 Unilateral Re-radiation (very aggressive treatment) ending tomorrow.