Dave,

I am a non-smoking, social drinker, dental hygienist. Two years ago, at the age of 41, I was diagnosed with stage 1, poorly differentiated SCC of the tongue. I had two separate lesions, both on the right ventral surface (underside) of my tongue. My treatment consisted of a partial glossectomy (about 25% of my tongue was removed and I did not have a flap) and a modified neck disection. 48 lymph nodes were examined, all were cancer free, clean margins on my tongue, so I did not need radiation therapy. I saw four head and neck surgeons for opinions before my treatment, three at CCCs, and all three recommended surgery as the first line of treatment, however, my tumors were small and stage I. But all of them told me that they could remove up to 50% of my mobile tongue and my speech and swallowing would not be affected in the long term.

Immedialtely following my surgery, I couldn't eat solid food for about three to four weeks and then gradually within the next month I was eating normally. My lower lip was paralyzed for almost six months from the neck disection surgery, but it did recover and my smile is back to normal. My speech was pretty slurred for the first three months, but by about 8 months after surgery, everyone suddenly was saying that my speech was 100% back to normal.

Two years later, unless I tell someone and point out the scar on my neck, no one would ever know that I had had tongue cancer.

Good luck with your decisions.

Barb