Hi there... that was me three years ago. I have never smoked, I don't drink and have never done drugs. I thought mine was either irritation from a capped molar or allergies. Regardless, I heard the same words. And cancer - superficial or not - is scary. Can I recommend you be seen by an oral cancer specialist - ENT at a reputable CCC? I know superficial seems unimportant - but if not handled properly it could become a bigger issue than it needs to be.

I don't want to scare you further but knowledge is power so forewarned is forearmed when it comes to your health. Superficial cancers can still spread. The next steps should be a head, neck and chest CT, and physical examination of the nodes in your neck. It's highly unlikely if it's superficial that it has spread that far, however it is better to be safe than sorry.

This cancer can seed to the nodes and be undetected by a scan when they are still microscopic, so if it is determined that a small surgery is all you need to remove the cancer and surrounding tissue, that's great. But do keep an eye on your neck just in case something pops up.

Hugs and welcome... and you will get through this.