A lot depends on the extent of the cancer and the type of treatment they are recommending. It is very difficult to give you any specific recomendations without more information. I would not have wanted to work or go to school while going through the chemo I did but they are getting better at reducing the side effects. Oral cancer is tenacious stuff and you need to keep your eye on the prize which is getting rid of it so you can continue with your life. Lymph node involvement usually means more extensive cancer. In my opinion you wouuld be better off studying the cancer you have so you can make informed decisions than the class work you are doing and that advice iis coming from a college administrator who has had 3 primary cancers in my mouth over a 20 year period.

In 1994 I found a 3cm tumor on my right tonsil. After 3 rounds of chemo, I underwent a radical neck dissection with a peck flap. I had a reoccurance which required twice a day radiation treatments and then had 19 years cancer free. I then found a very small tumor on my right tonsil. It was removed. Then I found a 1 cm mass near the base of my tongue on the left side. I had two partial glossectomys with bad margins and then then underwent Brachytherapy.