[quote]First CCC: Surgery + Neck Recession on both side on a same day. 4-5 days in hospital. Chemo+Rad based on Second Report

Second CCC: Surgery + Neck Recession on one side on a same day. 2-3 days in hospital. Chemo+Rad based on Second Report

Third CCC: Surgery + Neck Recession on both side on a same day. 4-5 days in hospital. Chemo+Rad based on Second Report. Offered/recommended reconstruction if necessary.

Fourth CCC: First Surgery only. NO Neck Recession required at all in first place based on my PET/CT results. 1 day in hospital. Neck recession will be a second phase look up/thought (not actual surgery) on a following appointment after three weeks of first surgery. Chemo+Rad will be least case scenario in this case.[/quote]
Cheryl's last comment had me go back and read it all again. There is a range in treatment from aggressive to minimal. Every doctor and the tumor board advised an aggressive approach - fire all guns the first time around and try to make the kill complete and thorough. I sleep very well knowing everything was done and no missed cancers were hiding out.

If the diagnosis is loco-regional and there is cancer in a lymph node, then I would not think twice to get rads and chemo. The chemo will seek out and kill the microscopic cancers if they are there but not detected. The rads will ensure a total kill in the neck area.

The very worst thing is recurrence so it generally is best to attack like no tomorrow. Obviously, if there are other circumstances and considerations that preclude going full guns then by all means heed the tradeoffs.