Dan, if your cancer was near or on the artery isn't that nodal involvement? My husband had 3 positive nodes and one of them was right on the artery and the ENT Surgeon peeled it off...thats how he put it anyways. He had tonsil cancer, cancer grew on the inside of the tonsil into his neck, could not be seen from the throat.
His doctor gives statistics but said they really don't mean a thing. My husband is 27 months out of surgery ....
Have a good New Year.
Sherrie