Hi, Norman. Welcome to OCF! We will help you get through this. Getting a cancer diagnosis, whether it's you or your family, can be devastating. No one quite knows what it's like unless they have had the misfortune of experiencing it. The good news is that OCF has the information you will need and the fabulous people on these forums to share their experience, strength, and hope in the battle against oral cancer.

I had the standard surgical removal of the cancerous tumour with generous margins (partial glossectomy) along with a neck dissection. My nodes were clean, thankfully, so I did not need radiation/chemo. If I had any sign of the cancer in my nodes, they would have proceeded with rads/chemo once I had healed from the surgery. Many people of this forum have had some variation of this treatment. Some need reconstruction of the tongue if a larger portion must be removed, some need part of their jaw bone removed and reconstructed with bone grafts, etc.

The excellent news is that your brother has not had any mets. So, like Christine suggested, get to a CCC ASAP. This stuff moves fast and you want to nip it in the bud to say the least! You've got to strike it full-force and not pull any punches, because given a chance, it will take you down.

Best of luck in getting the best care out there. Please keep us posted and don't hesitate to lean us for support.

With care,
Kerri