Bob,

Belated welcome to you! It sounds like we share some similarities in that I had a base of tongue tumor slightly bigger than yours. I also had two lymph nodes light up on the PET/CT. The otolaryngologist I use told me that necessity of surgery has changed somewhat the last 5 years based on little or no difference in survival rates with or without surgery in my stage (Stage IV). He also told me that the amount of radiation he was throwing at me would be a lifetime max and surgery could be a last option. There has not been any sign of cancer since radiation for almost 9 months now.

Interestingly, I know someone going through the same everything except lymph nodes on the left side versus my right and his tumors did not disappear from radiation so they did the neck dissection afterwards.

I noticed on the NCCN website there is a Clinical Practice Guidelines document that shows for advanced head and neck cancer the first defense is the radiation/chemo route.

The best practice is to get at least two opinions and ask plenty of questions.

Good luck on your test results and getting all the info you need to make the best possible decision.

Ed

SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023