Denise are you being seen at a ccc? I'm not sure which one is in Nevada but its your best chance at beating this - Hopefully whatever is on your tongue is irritation but show it to your surgical oncologist prior to surgery he may want to remove it too. Base of tongue cancer - BOT - usually responds well to just chemo and rads - but oral tongue cancer usually needs surgical removal of as much as possible first. I'm not sure why but oral tongue cancer seems to be more aggressive and stubborn in some people. Best of luck on your surgery, hope it goes well. You'll be stiff and numb but it's not terribly painful. Take care.