Leukoplakia... anyone, any insight, appreciated.

My mom was diagnosed with tonsil cancer (I believe T1N2b) which was HPV positive. She had neck dissection, all lymph nodes on right side removed (3 were cancerous, 1 was not encapsulated - the one not encapsulated is one she originally noticed, and it was approx 2.5" at time of removal), had raditation seeds implaned in her tonsil, 3 rounds of chemo (cisplatin), and 28 sessions of radiation. At first follow up, in March, she had PET scan and was told it was negative and she was clear and looked great. Yesterday, she had her second follow up (no PET). The doctors again looked down her throat with scopes and felt her lymph nodes in neck, etc., and said she looked great, and they really think this tonsil cancer is behind her. However, her surgeon noticed leukoplakia on her tongue. She explained to him that she had been having pain there since the treatment, and that her tongue was still swollen and she kept biting it (I was hoping, and am still hoping, that it is NOT leukoplakia, but appears that way because she was biting her tongue... wonder if this could be it? She also tried to eat a "lean cuisine" meal before going to her appts., but it was very spicy and she could not eat it - could this have caused a reaction??).

Her surgeon recommended, given her age (67) and history with this cancer (mind you, before this cancer, she was healthy - on NO medications aside from vitamins, did not drink, did not smoke, ate tons of vegetables, no red meat, all lean protein... better than me ) that she get it removed surgically on July 20th. He said he does NOT think it is cancerous, but it MAY be precancerous, so he feels taking it out is best. However, her radiation oncologist said she did not have to do the surgery and he recommends monitoring it and only acting if it looks problematic in the future. In truth, I got very upset because he did not give me a medically understandable reason as to why... instead, he said that most malignancies in oral leukoplakias take approx. 10 years to develop, and that only 5% of all leukoplakia is malignant, and she could live "to about 90" without a problem, "which is a long life!" I got upset - and I think it is understandable! How, and why, could you put an end date on my mom's life? If the surgery could extend her life EVEN MORE than 10 years, why WOULD HE NOT recommend it? He couldn't answer that question, except to say that leukoplakia usually comes back and she would essentially be "chasing it continually," which may result in several surgeries (which I guess could result in a substantial loss of her tongue), and again justifying it with his feeling of the "unlikelihood" that it would ever turn malignant given the low percentage that do, and if it did, that it would be 10 or so years from now.

I guess I just don't understand why he would not recommend she still get the surgery - wouldn't preemtive and preventative care be the best??? Also, I'm so concerned that this may mean a recurrence. If it is a recurrence, I'm so scared... I just am very confused, upset, and need more information.

I've read posts on this site so many times... I did not have the strength to post on here several months ago, after she was initially diagnosed (still coming to terms with everything), and did not do so when she was going through treatment because I felt like answers were being given by the doctors, and that everything I was reading helped supplement questions and concerns I had. Plus, I was happy because she was doing really well and everything with the treatment following the tonsil cancer seemed to be so positive. I'm just scared now, and I want some information from anyone who has experienced what we are going through.