Hi Brian,
First of all, thanks for being available to us. I am a male, 53 and have just been diagnosed as an oral cancer patient. I have a lesion the size of a dime on the bottom of my tongue. Yes, I am (about to be was) a smoker and drinker. I see the oncologist on 2/5 and am more than a bit frightened. In that I have not seen the doc yet, I have no buzz-words nor diagnoses, but have failed a biopsy. Perhaps more study would have helped.

Well, there's a lot to say, perhaps too much for this single posting. The normal sequence of events will probably go like this. First, testing will be done to determine the location of the primary tumor, and the extent of the spread of the disease. MRI's etc. will be done and when all this is determined, they will "stage" your cancer. There is a section on the web site under cancer facts that talks about staging. Then your doctor/doctors will get together to determine the proper course of treatment. I like the way this is done in a multidisciplinary center where all types of specialists are participants. If you live in a small community, you may not have a facility like this near. But my personal preference is not to have only one doctor decide what is going to happen. Even though he/she might be a great doctor, in situations like this, multiple opinions and ideas are beneficial. After all, you have to put into play the BEST plan possible, right now. There isn't time to redo things later. You will have to decide who will treat you, and where your treatment will be done. You may decide that being treated in a facility near home is best, or that a facility with a winning reputation suits your feelings better, even though it is far away. I traveled across the country to be at MD Anderson in Houston. At this meeting of doctors, each will bring their own perspective (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) of how the cancer should be treated. Each will make his argument, and they will sort of debate the alternatives coming to a consensus on what should be done. This is called the tumor board. You will be present at the meeting and get to listen to everyone