My mother had a tube when she was in for neck resection, but before radiation. There was about a month between neck surgery and beginning of radiation and the tumor on her tongue grew rather quickly. She tried to keep eating normally, but it was difficult and the doctor told her to use the tube because she was tiring herself out trying to eat by mouth. After she began the radiation and chemo he told her she needed to concentrate on getting through the radiation and chemo not on trying to eat by mouth which became quite trying for her with all the side effects. The tube turned out to be a very good thing indeed. She has had to have more surgery and luckily she never had the tube removed after radiation even though initially it was a major goal for her.