My partner has been cancer free for 10 years.
He had radiation for Stage 1 throat cancer. He had gone to his ENT for this and he took a watch and wait attitude.
My partner had been a 3 pack a day Camel smoker and severely alcoholic for 20+ years. With his life style he insisted on a biopsy. It was cancer caught very early.
Had radiation treatment’s and was cancer free for ten years until now. He noted a small lump on the right side on base of tongue. The Ent sent us to a head and neck specialist in Miami where he had CT scan and Biopsy which revealed a squamous cell carcinoma. The tumor is the length of a quarter, oval in shape and 4-5 quarters thick. Stage 1 , large T1-2 N-0. Surgery is to be major. 6-8 hours, with graphs and reconstruction of the tongue with tracheotomy (temporary), feeding tube and 6 days in hospital. Does this sound normal to anyone? Lexie

The option would be radiation treatments. Probably with concurrent chemo. While a 6 hour surgery doesn’t sound conservative, compared to 6-7 weeks of radiation it may be. There’s not a lot of detail in your post about the surgery and what structures and parts of the anatomy will be impacted. What long term functional or esthetic concerns it may cause.

Personally I would want to understand all that in detail, and the doctors are obligated to discuss that with you. You also do not say if his treatment plan was decided on and developed by a tumor board composed of doctors from different disciplines and training. If that is being determined by the ent only, who is only trained in surgery, this choice is obvious. A tumor board would have both a radiation doctor in its group, and a chemo doc to weigh in on options. The best plans are developed this way, not by a doctor trained in only one treatment modality. I would explore this to end up with the best idea developed and agreed to by a multidisciplinary group of doctors.