I made no decision of my own. Everything happened so fast for me, all I could do was to accept the recommendations of my surgeon. Every case is different, even with the same staging numbers. You don't list your stage, but mine was staged at T2N0M0...T2, based on its size (it had been overlooked for over 8 months)....N0= Nodes Zero......M0=Metastasis Zero.

Also figuring into the decision whether or not to recommend radiation for me was the very fortunate fact that my pathology report reported that my cancer was well- to moderately-well differentiated, and that my surgical margins were clear (meaning that they should have removed all of the tumor from that site) and that all nodes from my neck dissection were negative for any cancer. (The ND was ordered bec. of how long the tumor had been there.)

All of these things figured into the decision. Also, they fit into the official protocol for treatment, found somewhere on this site.

He did not make the decision about the radiation until he received the pathology report from my surgical specimens, several days after the surgery.

It is a difficult call. The no-radiation decision has been discussed a lot on this forum. It does make me nervous that perhaps I had a cancer cell somewhere that did not get killed by radiation. However, the opinion was that, by all signs, I should not have more cancer cells, and that if I should develop a recurrence,which he feels is remote, or if I should develop a new primary, which he feels is equally remote, then I still will have the radiation as a weapon.

The location of my SCC tumor also figured into the decision. It was located on my gums and had spread to my hard palate. The lack of soft tissue there lends this location to a greater chance of total removal and less of a chance for recurrence once it is removed.

All of these factors were part of the decision. So you can see that all cases are very different, though they may appear to be similar on the surface. There is not a one-size fits all decision-making process.

Keep me posted on what you decide.

Also...I know that you are just learning, but next time, you might get more responses to your personal issue if you start a New Topic of your own. I hate for your issue to be lost under this older, non-related topic.

Colleen--T-2N0M0 SCC dx'd 12/28/05...Hemi-maxillectomy, partial palatectomy, neck dissection 1/4/06....clear margins, neg. nodes....no radiation, no chemo....Cancer-free at 4 years!