HD,

I know we're throwing a lot at you but this is a critical time and believe me different docs do different things when it comes to this cancer and not all are necessary and some have unnecessary life altering consequenses. One of these is unnecessary surgery so that's why we are harping on getting a 2nd opinion from a CCC as they see 100's of your presentations a year vs a typical ENT seeing maybe less than 10.

Your presentation is VERY common in the oral cancer world. Finding the painless lump is very often the first clue that we had this cancer growing in our body and because it has already spread from the Primary to a node, it's already Staged a III so like me, you are very fortunate that your ENT persisted otherwise the next spread would have been deadly. Your presentation will probably result in your cancer being positive for HPV which is good in that studies have concluded that HPV+ SCC responds better to existing Tx than HPV- SCC and therefore that chances of a recurrence is less. What they do want to do right now is to try and find your Primary.

Here's my short story. One day, while shaving, I found a totally painless lump in my neck. Totally healthy, never been sick a day in my life except colds, etc. Riding my bike 100 miles a week. Exercise and health nut. I ignored it. A month later it was still there, no bigger? and still painless but I showed it to my wife. She called me every name in the latin book. Got me an appt that day with a doc. He said "don't know what it is BUT it needs to stay." Not satisfied she got me another appt with a neck surgeon. He said "don't know what it is BUT it needs to come out." Wife happy, me not. I told my wife I needed another opinion. Again the latin words poured from her sweet lips. Went to see my neighbor, a MO, who put me on antibiotics. After 2 weeks I came back and HE SHOOK MY HAND AND SAID "CONGRATUATIONS YOU DON"T HAVE CANCER!!" Me really happy, wife very quiet. Not satisfied my wife tricked me into taking her Mom to another ENT who after seeing her Mom turned to me and said I understand I need to look at that lump in your neck. He did an FNA. Two weeks later told me I had SCC and after performing a radical neck dissection I would have chemo and rad and he gave me a 60% chance of surviving 5 years. I fainted. He also told me he would get me in at Moffitt. While waiting for Moffitt, a CCC, I went back to my neighbor MO who said only a partial neck dissection followed by chemo/rad and he gave me a 70% chance. Got in at Moffitt and they said NO surgery just chemo/rad and a 90% survival chance. Who you gonna use? lol Moffitt did put me under to find my primary and luckily it was the first spot they looked at, my BOT.

Moral of story, just don't take the first opinion thrown at you and listen to your wife!