105 patients with cancer of the tongue were treated with radical radiotherapy in 1982 at the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum, India. The overall local control rate was 55% and the 3-year actuarial disease-free survival was 36% with radiotherapy. The analysis revealed a close correlation between stage of the disease and local control as well as survival. 45% of the patients with clinically positive cervical nodes had their disease controlled by radiotherapy. Since the best results were obtained with early disease, the need for clinical downstaging by early detection is stressed.