I had 40% of my jaw removed and rebuilt in June of 2006. I was in surgery for 17 hours, much of which is due to the micro-vascular work they need to do.

What they will do is to use the fibula and surrounding tissue as a transplant, with no risk of rejection. The long surgery is due to the myriad of blood vessels they need to connect to ensure adequate bloodflow and ultimately survival of the donor tissue. It's a long, arduous process, however I woke up able to talk and began to eat soft foods within 48 hours.

Staging is not something that you can really determine based on the treatment protocol. That's something that your Dad's Doctor should be able to tell you definitively. I believe that surgery is an unpleasant reality of this disease as often as not.

It's not an easy surgery, for sure. I was in hospital for nearly 2 weeks, with a tracheotomy and a gastric tube for much of the time. Again, not at all pleaseant, but managable. I found the radiation that followed to be much more difficult overall.

Oral Cancer is dangerous, and survival rates are not a lot better than they were decades ago. It's also NOT a death sentence. The medical professionals at comprehensive cancer centers are fantastic, and getting better almost every day. Seek out the best you can find, and listen to what they say. Your Dad can beat this, and so can you
Wayne