My 47 year old husband (non-smoker, non-drinker) has just been diagnosed with stage IV SCC, base of tongue w/mets to bilateral neck lymph nodes. He has been diagnosed by a local ENT and has seen his oncologist and has an appointment with Radiology on Wednesday. The ENT surgeon says he would not recommend surgery because of the position of the tumor at the base of his tongue. He has told me that they would have to take his entire tongue and then you are talking about a whole set of issues including aspiration as well as never being able to speak again! We went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for a second opinion and were told that there may be a possibility that they could do surgery and remove a portion of the base of the tongue along with bilateral lymph nodes and then follow up with chemo and RAD. We are worried about disfigurement. Tom is not into losing his tongue. He is not looking forward to the PEG either. I am a nurse and have taken care of people with PEGs so I am not all that concerned about the PEG. I am concerned about his mental state if he can't speak. I am looking for any information regarding this type of surgery esp. personal accounts. We are scheduled to go back to Mayo on Tuesday for an MRI, preop consult and surgeon consult so I need help soon. Thank you.