Welcome - and yes sorry you have to be here. Frankly I am sorry this forum has a reason to exist... But I'm glad it does.

First off I'd like to say.- don't look at the stats.... There are a melting pot of people thrown in to get those numbers, and tumor aggressiveness, age and other illnesses are not necessarily taken into consideration.

Secondly - alternative therapy? My suggestion is - have your surgery - and then post op - see what else is available to you in terms of treatment - maybe by getting a second opinion - perhaps a clinical trial? But don't leave it too long time is of the essence.

I would also like to tell you - I had a tongue tumor - had it removed with wide margins - had one lymph node involved - and have had the neck dissection and part of my tongue rebuilt - I am starting radiation and chemo this Friday, and while it's no walk in the park and something I am not necessarily looking forward to, I am glad I'm having it. cisplatin is usually only a 2 or 3 dose thing, and radiation for me will take 6.5 weeks. It's hard but many here have gotten through it.

There are side effects - of course -but not everyone has them all. It's a very individual thing. If they recommend it and you have a second dr. do the same then I would do it. It's six or seven weeks that could very well save your life.
Read through the forum, it will give you scads of useful info, but take into consideration none of it is your story - you will right your own and it may have an entirely different set of ups and downs.

Best of luck Friday... And remember to bring a pen and paper or tablet to communicate. Also try to have someone around to advocate for you if need be. Take care.