Mike, re recurring 'bump' ... my husband had his 'bump' return 17 months later.
I just answered a friends query with the following:
Actually, NO symptoms or pain. When he went to the dental hygienist for his 3 month cleaning, she noticed a lump, fairly large on the roof of his mouth, and called the dentist in. He looked and sent him back to the oral surgeon, who'd treated (took a sample for biopsy) him August a year ago. That biopsy came back negative.
When we re-visited him, he later said he thought right away "UH OH" .. did another biopsy, a HUGE one (reason for George's pain for 2 weeks) and it came back 'mucoepidermoid carcinoma' - cancer of the salivary gland in palate.. They didn't get it all, even with that large excision .. Pathology came back NO clean margins, so now he will see an oral oncology surgeon, who will probably schedule him first for CTscan or MRI (not sure) blood work, chest xray (rule out metastasis to lungs) ...
IF it wasn't already cancer 17 months ago, and missed ... the prognosis is good. It is a low grade cancer.
IF it WAS cancer then, it's had time to grow. This type of cancer surrounds itself in a 'cyst', which George had, both times, to protect itself, or whatever..
We'll know a little more about future testing on Thursday, and how that turns out will determine the surgery and if he will need radiation. < If that is the case, they will first extract his teeth because the radiation can ruin 'em...
I wish that first oral surgeon had gone further the first time.
Best to you.
:)marie