There are many reasons for my recommendation not to have radiation of which, I am not going to go into detail on here. let's just say - that yes - I've seen a top doctor for a second opinion (and Yes - at a large CCC) - a rad onc who recommended AGAINST radiation at this time (and he ONLY treats Head and Neck and Lung Cancer) so, I think his recommendation is one to trust. My two head and neck surgeons both say no and so does everyone else they consulted (including rad oncologists) to make the initial decision. If they had recommended to have the treatment - you can be sure I'd have been to every single treatment. Since they are the ones who went to medical school and had the specialized cancer care education and experience - not myself, I am trusting the decisions and recommendations of which they make.

Yes - I know that it can recur- but that is the case whether or not you have radiation / chemo. There is always a chance of that. I have accepted that risk and am very aware of all the issues.

To answer your other question: we are not "expecting" a recurrence - however, just very aware that one might happen, as could anyone's. So, I have very regular checkups etc...

And - not really "saving" radiation - more like just avoiding an unneccessary treatment at this time - for my particular case. Every case is different - every case requires different treatment - and unfortunately, no one can predict what will or won't happen in life.

As far as we know - the surgeons were able to get all of mine. Although the margins were close - they were not positive. All lymph nodes were negative and I've had a clean PET/CT scan since the surgery. There is no indication that any cancer remains. I am hoping that will remain the same through the rest of my (hopefully long) life.

This answer was longer than I wanted, but I hope I answered the confusion my previous post may have caused.