From everything I've read here over the past (almost) 3 years, the "radiation or not" decision for Stage II cases can be a very tough call to make. It can depend on a variety of specific factors in the pathology reports that might provide a sense of how aggressive the tumor is likely to be, and takes a really experienced head and neck cancer team to make the most informed recommendation. That's why there are so many of us that continue to beat the drum about getting an opinion from a comprehensive cancer center about the best course of treatment.

I'm one of the Stage II's who had radiation (largely as a preventive measure) after a partial glossectomy and modified neck dissection, which had clean margins. Thankfully I've had 17 years, and counting, without a return of this disease. My decision to have radiation was influenced very strongly by a tumor board at Dana Farber who felt it was definitely warranted based on my pathology reports.

Bigtwin and Sailor, it sounds as though you might be listening heavily to the advice of an individual surgeon about whether to proceed with radiation. If you read through some of the many posts on this forum over the past few years, you can see that there have been a number of Stage II close calls where someone's doctor convinced them to "save" radiation for a possible future recurrence, and when the recurrence came, it was more aggressive and much tougher to treat than the first time around (and hindsight would argue it might well have been eradicated with radiation the first time around). Please be sure you are getting the best possible review of your own reports by experts who see oral cancer day in and day out, and then pay attention to their advice.

Cathy