Hi everyone. I was just diagnosed with Squamous cell cancer of the tongue that is moderate to poorly differentiated about 12 days ago. I'm still in the process of staging and scheduling surgery. The surgeon said that, based on his preliminary evaluation, I will probably need a hemiglossectomey to remove about half of my tongue, followed by radiation. That in itself is very scary. But I'm seeing things on this site that scare me as much and are very discouraging. I see where people have listed their disease history. So many of them seem to show multiple recurrence of the cancer. I didn't think to ask my surgeon about it but, is it common to become a perpetual patient after the first diagnosis and treatment? Any help is appreciated.