@mamacatjane, although my cancer was in the throat area, I can empathize with this decision you have to make. Before undergoing radiation, chemotherapy was also on the list of to-dos. After researching the odds of chemotherapy helping me (as you have done) and speaking with the oncologist in an up-front manner, I decided against the chemotherapy. This is because having the chemotherapy would have increased my odds of survival by 1-2%, yet there was a greater chance of hearing loss, plus other negative consequences. The decision was very troublesome for a few weeks, before making up my mind. After you explained it, the odds are in your favor...not by the margin of 1-2%, but 80-85%. I cannot tell you what to do. Being an older person, I would not elect for the surgery with those odds. Pray about it, in the quiet of the morning. Listen to the still, small voice inside!