Read the letter directly above yours. Buccal cancer can be highly aggressive. If it were me I'd be in there like a flash and say give me the works. A neck dissection should be routine IMHO and most experienced ENTs know this.
This cancer can seed to the nodes and will not be picked up on a scan until it has reached a certain size. So then they remove the initial lesion, send you home only to have a node or two pop up a few months later and then you have to wait for another surgery. Heal from that and then are likely going to be on the fast path to rads and chemo.

In between the two surgeries that cancer will also have had the chance to move and by the time of discovery in the nodes may have travelled elsewhere.

To me the nodes are a stop gap. If they come back negative terrific, chances are you are done. No rads no chemo. But if they come back positive then you've saved yourself a second surgery and caught your cancer early. (Hopefully) at this point you may still have to have rads and chemo but at least you're a few months ahead, and you've hopefully come closer to getting rid of it for good. in a lot of cases the lymphnodes of the neck and a quick stopping point on the way to the lungs. Do what you can now.

Hugs