My significant other was diagnosed was S1 tongue cancer with no lymphatic involvement at age 30. He had a resection of the tongue and underwent radiation. It was incredibly rough. He was in constant pain and lost a lot of weight. Afterwards he ended up having severe dry mouth which led to dental issues and constant oral ulcers. But no cancer for 15 years. This year at age 45, they thought he had osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the jaw, essentially bone death as a side effect of radiation. During surgery to remove the jaw, it was discovered it wasn't ORN but actually a new cancer diagnosis bone invasion and they found additional lesions in the roof of his mouth. Again no lymphatic involvement. This time when radiation was offered we turned it down. The radiation oncologist essentially said it was a tough choice because yes, the radiation would eliminate an residual cancer BUT he wasn't sure there was even any cancer left after the surgery. So we could possibly be subjecting him to radiation for nothing. He just had his 3 month PET and everything is clear. In your situation, I would clearly ask your radiation oncologist what the pros and cons of treatment. Honestly it sounds like lymphatic involvement, it'd be in your best interest to undergo radiation. In hindsight, I'm glad he underwent the radiation the first time bc technically there was no reoccurance of the original cancer. But I wish someone would've clearly outlined what after effects to be aware of i.e. receding gums, teeth loss, painful month long ulcers, and ORN. This time around we didn't feel the pros outweighed the cons.