Hi Kim. It sounds like you and i have very similar cancer. I had a size 1-2 cm tumor on my tongue. I was told it was very unlikely that it would have spread to my neck, but I had a neck dissection, and guess what! There was one positive node. I agree with Nelie, that it probably was not "recurrance", but disease that might have been found if you had a neck dissection earlier. I guess you'll never really know.
Anyway, I am getting "one sided" IMRT, but my doctor said that really over 2/3 of my tongue is getting radiation. So I don't think they focus just on the tumor area. From my understanding, the best thing about the new IMRT is that it can spare your salivary glands a little more than the old fashioned XRT.
Good luck to you, are you almost done? I have 10 more treatments left. God Bless you for being on amiphostene - I had to quit after the first. That stuff is terrible! Hang in there - you are doing the right thing to get aggressive treatment. In the end, I think we will be glad we went through this. Best Wishes, Laura G