The best option is to get a PEG tube, since he is getting a pretty heavy chemo dose and will prob baly need this to maintain hydration and nutrition.

I should add that none of the three top CCCs (MD Adnerson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Johns Hopkins) do base-of-tongue surgery because of long-term or permanent problems with speech and swallowing. Instead they start with concurrent chemoradiation, possibly but not always with an induction phase) and may follow with a neck dissection (to remove lymph nodes) if warrented or recommended after the end of the chemotherapy and radiation. Has your fiance's doctors explained why they are not doing chemoradiation instead of chemo and then surgery? (Or is he getting radiation too -- you mentioned removal of teeth which some places do before radiation, if the teeth are in truly bad shape.)

In any case, yes, a PEG is recommended -- not everyone uses it -- my husband didn't and he had Stage IV tonsil, base-of-tongue and two lymph nodes so got pretty extensive radiation but he was the exception.

Gail