Frank, welcome to the board, and sorry you qualify to join our little community. That being said, do avail yourself of the wealth of resources available here. Be sure to go to the Read This First post, which serves as a guide to the information available.

Being a native of Northern California, a Stanford alum, and with many friends associated with UCSF, I can say unequivocally that you are in great hands. If you dig through the postings, you will see much pro and con over various treatment modalities, all of which can point to statistical evidence as to their efficacy. You will also see increasing volumes on HPV and debate over its role.

I was in your shoes last year at this time. As you can see from the signature, I had neck dissection, IMRT and concurrent Cisplatin chemotherapy. My particular course of treatment was deemed an aggressive treatment protocol with curative intent. I chose the most aggressive course they wanted to pursue, because, like you, I wanted this thing dead. I am 52, so have about a decade on you, but same principal applies.

As others will tell you, this is a very individual decision. However, I would wait and see what the tumor board at UCSF suggests. You had the surgery to remove the tumor just a week or so ago, and apparently at least one lymph node removed before that. (Go to the profile tool and put the details of your diagnosis and treatment in your signature -- this helps everyone see what you are dealing with, and helps to tailor our input).

They generally do not like to start radiation earlier than 4 weeks after surgery, so there is time yet. Carefully listen to what they recommend, aske the upsides and downsides of each course, and make a decision based upon what is most important to you. You obviously want to kill the disease, but if efficacy is the same and one course offers less morbidity in side effects, that may be the one you want to pursue.

There are no guarantees with treatment, and it really is highly individualized. Keep bringing your questions here and someone will have the answers. Others are more versed in HPV impact than I, so I will defer to them.

Welcome, and best of luck. Keep the questions coming!