Here's where I landed.... I'm going to have chemoradiation at the large teaching hospital in my neighborhood, not a CCC.

My MO here is a national leader; he co-chairs the RTOG clinical trials board, edits journals, etc. etc. He explained quite clearly why I'm high risk for recurrence, citing specific research for every one of the assumptions that lead him to believe I need chemo:

-- "clean" margin <1 mm
-- retropharangeal node + multiple nodes
-- smoking history >10 pack years, regardless of how long ago

His recommendation for chemo contradicts the no-chemo recommendation from the RO and MO at the CCC, but his reasoning is sound and makes intuitive sense to me.

My local RO comes with the highest possible recommendation from the top RO at the CCC. I feel very confident with this team and plan, which as T points out is essential.

The local convenience is already paying off. The MO wants a baseline hearing test right away, and when they called this morning and offered me an appointment today I was able to leave work for a few hours to take it.

I'm very glad to have had my surgery at the CCC, and to have sought opinions there about my next phase of treatment. In my case, though, the non-CCC option and treatment plan turned out to be the smarter choice in quality of plan, quality of docs and logistics.

I'm super relieved to have made this decision this week and be moving forward. Thanks to everybody who helped me sort this out, I really appreciate the input and support --

<<<HUGS>>>

Mama