I've just had surgery for a tumor on the side/under my external tongue, and three lymph nodes in the same side of my neck. I lost a small amount of tongue, I almost can't tell the difference in size. I am 36 years old. I will be staged in a few days and make appointments to proceed with radiation and probably chemo.

I know people are down on statistics, and believe me I understand that if there's any chance of survival you hope and you fight, because whether your odds are 1% or 50% you are only one person and you may be that 1 out of 100. But I want some statistics because I think all information is useful in some way. I don't want to be shielded from anything.

And so, I have a question about this "five year rate" that I keep hearing about. Do I understand correctly that if you go five years after treatment without cancer returning, you are more likely than not free of cancer and will go on to live a normal life expectancy? Again, I am 36 years old. What's the percentage on people who go five years in remission and never recur? What is the percentage of people who treat cancer only once? Only twice? Etc. What are the odds of me living to 75/die of something other than cancer?