My mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4a base of tongue cancer with bilateral mets to neck nodes. The tumor on the base of the tongue mushrooms out the back of her tongue and has grown forward towards the chin bone. It is 5cmx4cmx2cm. She had went to doctors for 3 years with pain before her 2nd ENT found it. The doctors told her she had arthritis, stress (my dad has been battling renal cell cancer for 3 yrs), and her dentist was treating her for TMJ and made her a bite plate. We went to Mayo for a 2nd opinion. The ENT surgeon there said her tumor was massive...that he had only seen 10 in 35 years this size and her options were 1. do nothing and die 2. total tongue removal followed by chemo/rad and would never eat, talk and have a trach or 3. chemo/rad. She is going for chemo and rad...Has anyone else had a BOT this larege?