Ginny,

When my oral surgeon had his first inkling that the spot on my tongue might be cancerous, he immediately did a biopsy, but held off on further surgery until he had the full input of a head and neck cancer team from a major cancer center. His explanation was that if he performed the initial surgery without getting all of the tumor on the first try, there was a risk that the resulting scar tissue could be an impediment in trying to get the rest of it on another try. For that reason, he wanted to have a very good idea of the scope of the entire recommended treatment (which turned out to be both surgery and radiation) before undertaking any type of surgical procedure.

This is not something you want to take on piecemeal. I can't comment on the difference in skill levels between your local cancer center and the one in Birmingham, but I know there are many people on this board who will agree that if you need to drive 60 miles to get the best oncology minds (and technology) in your region to deal with your case, it's a small price to pay.

Cathy