Margret, Welcome to this board. I got a second opinion at Dana Fraber three years ago when I had my tongue cancer and I now wish I gone for treatment there as well (long story). I have been treated since at Brigham and Women's for esophageal structures so it's possible we've seen some of the same docs and speech pathologists. I'm seconding what everyone else here has said about eating everything you love right now before the radiation starts. I also was about 50 pounds overweight when I was diagnosed and by the end of treatment I was very glad of that as I lost about 60 pounds the year I was treated (I also was treated kind of simultaneously for breast cancer so it was a hard year for all sorts of reasons).

David, if Margarets cancer was on the oral tongue, which it sounds like it was, then the location of Margaret's tumor isn't typical of HPV cancers from what I've read. But I think if she isn't interested in the cause right now, the best thing to do is not argue about whether it is caused by HPV with her. It doesn't make a difference to her treatment.

Nelie