Hi Gurley, I' a male who'll be 74 in the day you are scheduled for your surgery.

Your case sounds like mine, it was not until she was in my neck that my surgeon saw that it was actually in an enlarged lymph-node and not the Parotid gland.

My further treatments were delayed (after the surgery) until they located the primary tumor (golf-ball sized) in the base of my tongue, and then more delay until they ran a PET scan and found three more tumors in the other side of my throat. All were in lymph nodes, and none showed in a PT or CAT scan (I had all 3).

I strongly urge you to follow your doctors recommendations re removal of the lymph nodes around the site of your Parotic gland. Not only is this standard practice in most internal cancers, but it is also part of the staging process. If they all come clean, that's good news. If they don't come clean, that's important information for determining the ultimate path to your successful treatment.

Good luck!