One hundred twenty-four previously-untreated patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the tougue from 1975 (opening of the department) through 2000 at our department were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 58.8 years (28-88 years), and the ratio of male to female was 1.9:1. Clinical stage I, II, III and IV was noted in 22 (17.7%), 44 (35.8%), 28 (22.6%) and 30 (24.2%) of the patients, respectively. Thirty-one (25%) had received mainly radiation therapy and 93 (75%) had been treated by surgery. The overall 5-year survival rate was 51.0% by the Kaplan-Mayer method, (clinical-stage I: 80.0%, stage II: 52.7%, stage III: 59.6%, stage IV: 12.0%). The most common death cause was lymph node metastasis, in 25 of 43 patients, 58.1%. We selected neck dissection by T classification. We suggested that patients with tumors over T2 should undergo elective neck dissection, and those with lymph node metastasis over 3 should undergo adjuvant therapy.