Thanks for your input. My sister had a small cell neuroendocrine cancer of the bladder a couple of years ago. She received a rapid and heavy chemo regimen based on cisplatin, and came away cured (apparently). The surgery after treatment found the tumor to be completely necrotic.

It's good education for me to know that normal oral cancer is a squamous cell type. The small cell neuroendocrine type is fast moving (brisk mitotic rate in the pathology report) and my fear is that my friend will not get the adequate chemotherapy going quickly enough. But I need to attune my comments to the wishes of my friend and his family.

Here in rural Hawaii the medical facilities and staff are not of the quality found around most urban areas. And many people born and raised here are accustomed to leaving decisions in the hands of the trained professionals. Without being fully versed in the specifics of why a particular treatment is chosen.