An update on my situation: Around the end of February, I discovered a lump on the right side of my neck. The long and short of it is, I was diagnosed with cancer of the right tonsil that had spread to the neck lymph nodes. The treatment plan was to have two or three cycles (3 weeks each) of pre-operative chemotherapy (carboplatin and taxol) followed by surgery to remove the tumor on the tonsil and the affected neck lymph nodes. The treatment program then calls for a course of chemoradiation. I have recently completed my second cycle of the pre-operative chemotherapy. There has been significant shrinkage of the neck lymph nodes. The otolaryngology surgeon indicated that there was also major shrinkage of the tonsil tumor. Mentally I was prepared to get on with the surgery. I was surprised and disappointed when the surgeon ordered a third cycle of chemotherapy. I had a trip planned to Boston, so I decided to seek a second opinion while there. The doctors (surgeon and medical oncologist) that I consulted with independent of one another were not impressed with my treatment program. They would recommend an initial course of chemoradiation, followed by salvage surgery to remove the affected neck lymph nodes and the tonsil tumor if necessary. However, the hoped for result would be that the chemoradiation would eliminate the tonsil tumor entirely. The message from both the surgeon and the medical oncologists was that throat surgery should be avoided if at all possible. I will be meeting with or talking to my