 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Hi Paul,
and welcome to the site.
You are on the fence. Stage II NCCN practice guidelines are that radiation is "adjuvant RT" optional, depending on "adverse features", such as close margins, vascular invasion and other things.
It is a tough call to make. Tongue cancers seem to be more agressive than other types of oral cancer. Radiation is not easy and no guarantee. But I urge you to also read the posts about metastesis and recurrence and balance out your decision with that knowledge. Dan put it very well about "attack this cancer with every weapon available". It is ultimately your decision what tools in the arsenal will be used.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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