Fifty-five selected patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck regions were studied in a randomized, prospective manner. The three treatment categories were primary radiation (Gp R), primary surgery (Gp S), and preoperative radiation of 4000 rads in four weeks (Gp R/S). The local control rates for the 44 evaluable patients with a two-year minimum followup were 24%, 39%, and 43% respectively. Further treatment attempts in patients failing initial therapy yielded local control rates of 35%, 39%, and 43% for Gp R, Gp S, and Gp R/S, respectively. None of the local control rates nor the corresponding survival curves were significantly different at P less than 0.10. However, the group sizes were sufficiently small that true differences might not have been detected. Postoperative complications were higher in the primary radiation failures subsequently operated upon compared to the primary surgery group (P = 0.07).