Hi klr, sorry about your Dad's diagnosis. It's fairly common for oral cancer patients to be confronted with treatment choices these days, because there are huge controversies and major developments, especially the discovery of the role of HPV, that are changing the field. I faced this twice. The first time I had to choose surgery plus radiation and maybe no chemo, or radiation and chemo. That's one of the big controversies out there, and surgery is becoming more common now that TORs offers a less invasive option in some cases.

The second time I had to choose between two chemo agents, Cisplatin and cetuximab.

I think it's so unclear which option is better, or whether any option is better sometimes, that docs want to leave the choice to the patient. That doesn't make it easier, I know. But my point is that your doc is giving you a choice because the side effects and risks vary, but the data puts the outcomes in equipoise right now. Unfortunately, there's no easy path to treat this cancer no matter what you choose.

Good luck, and keep us posted --

M