Hi everyone,

My name is Jennifer. My 44 year old husband was just diagnosed with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma HPV+. It's been a stressful month with all the biopsies, CT's, and work up to get this diagnosis, but so far he has a positive attitude. He has an appointment on Monday 6/26 with the Head/Neck surgeon, so we will find out then what the care plan is. What we know so far is the primary site is the right tonsil, but as far as staging we haven't gotten that info yet. He has multiple lymph node involvement (which is concerning to me) but his PET is scheduled for 6/27.


It's been 8 months since my husband noticed a large lump on the right side of his neck, which was last October. He went to see his primary physician regarding it and he dismissed it as being a swollen gland because my husband had a respiratory infection at the time. The respiratory infection never seemed to go away, so he went to see an NP who put him on high does of antibiotics for the infection and ordered an ultrasound for the lump on his neck. The ultrasound revealed a mass that is 4.1 x 4.5 x 6.1. After CT they still do not know if it is one mass or two masses that are adjacent to each other.

After an unsuccessful FNA by the radiologist, he was referred to an ENT. The ENT we had was fantastic and thorough with his exam. He did two more biopsies and confirmed that it was indeed HPV+. He referred us to OHSU in Portland, OR which is about 5.5 hours from where we live. He said that my husband would need 2 surgeries: TORS for the tonsil, a neck dissection, radiation, and chemo. I guess our long journey is just beginning. I am trying my hardest to stay positive and upbeat since we have an 8 year old daughter. I know she is scared that her dad has cancer since she lost her grandpa last summer to metastatic liver cancer.

I know I will be coming to this website for advice and to share our journey. While I am still in shock and trying to process the turn that our lives have taken, I have seen many positive postings that give me a positive outlook and grateful for the support that people give each other here. I will post more once we see the surgeon.

Jennifer