Statistics are not a good guide to recurrence as what does it matter to you if 90% get cured but you are in the 10% that doesn't? My doctors gave three reasons on why my cancer recurred and they all believe I am right on track for it to come back a THIRD time if I do not get additional radiation and chemo (which I have signed up for after Memorial Day)
1. My cancer tumor is radiation resistant
2. My cancer has "extensive perineural involvement" according to the latest Pathology report
3. Cancers with factors #1 and 2 above in their experience keep coming back if they were T-3 or T-4 and Stage IV until they win and you die absent aggressive treatment.
Still, there are plenty of people for whom the initial treatment did the trick, especially when they caught it early like you did. Mine was not only Stage IV, but my tumor size was T3 and it had spread to two lymph nodes before they caught it, the bigger the tumor, the worse the odds
[quote]Tumor Size is divided into four classes:

* T-1 is from 0 - 2 centimeters.
* T-2 is from 2 - 5 cm.
* T-3 is greater than 5cm .
* T-4 is a tumor of any size that has broken through (ulcerated) the skin, or is attached to the chest wall.

To offer a scale comparison in centimeters: a black-eyed pea would fit into the T-1 category; a walnut would be in T-2, and a lime would appear in T-3 class.[/quote]
good luck - statistics put you in a good posture