My name is Dana and my dentist today found a whitish patch on the right underside of my tongue. The oral surgeon (who I haven't met) wants to do a biopsy asap. Evidently asap is 3 weeks because he can't do it before July 19th. I'm about to lose it. I can't sleep or eat. I can't be around others because I'm afraid I'll burst into tears (I'm a 53 year old man!). Am I being stupid?

Hi Dana,

You are not being stupid. Having this type of attention from a dentist and then not being able to have it addressed quickly is frustrating, frightening, and stressful.

Have you spoken with an oncologist or your general practitioner about the whitish patch? It might ease your mind to talk to one of them about the biopsy time frame. Your GP may be able to give you some expeditious alternatives to having the oral surgeon do the biopsy. Is this oral surgeon the only one to whom your dentist refers? I would suggest talking to your general practitioner as soon as you can.

Please take a deep breath and try to relax. Try to remember that a biopsy is the only method of diagnosing cancer accurately. If there is nothing you can do but wait for the biopsy to take place on July 19, then try to accept that time frame. It will allow you to let go of the stress a bit and possibly ease your mind.

Sandy

Welcome to OCF. When I first came here looking for information five years ago, my husband's dentist had identified a leukoplakia on his tongue, and an initial biopsy by an oral surgeon had resulted in a diagnosis of moderate dysplasia (though the pathologist's report also warned of a possible "skip effect," meaning that cancer cells could be in areas that were not taken for biopsy -- my guess is that he saw something suspicious, but not definitive).

Here's how OCF's founder, Brian Hill, responded to my initial post asking what that meant and whether I should be concerned about a four- to six-week wait between the initial biopsy and the removal of the whole white patch by a local ENT (the boldface is mine):
[quote=Brian Hill]This is not a rush situation. Leukoplakia is a PRE-cancerous condition that does not always move completely into malignancy. Dysplasia are those cells which are no longer normal, but they are not really malignant yet ... an in-between state, so to speak. Dysplasias also do not always go completely over to the dark side, but they are a step in that direction ... and having them removed, or watched very regularly, is prudent. Dysplastic leukoplakias can often return after surgical removal, many times done with a laser, sometimes via a blade excision. Keep an eye on things even after the removal from now until forever.[/quote]
About a month after the oral surgeon's biopsy, the ENT removed the whole patch under general anesthesia (the oral surgeon just took a little bit for the initial biopsy), and the pathology report showed squamous cell carcinoma in situ, with a tiny bit superficially invasive -- in other words, it did turn to the dark side, but it was caught at the earliest stage possible. Once cancer was found, my husband was seen by a specialist at a top cancer center, and no further treatment was needed. He did get frequent checks the first year; the spacing between appointments stretched out over time, and he now gets checked at the cancer center once a year -- plus his dentist does a VELscope examination at each cleaning.

You are very fortunate to have a proactive dentist who evidently does a thorough oral exam and recognized something that needed a closer look. Take a deep breath, remember that a majority of leukoplakias are NOT malignant, and come here with any questions you may have.

(And Sandy's suggestion to check with your general practitioner is a good thought. Perhaps your GP could make a referral directly to an ENT -- ideally one with experience in oral cancer, rather than one who simply takes out tonsils, puts in ear tubes, and such.)

Everyone here has given you good advice - try not to freak out - do try to get it done sooner for your own peace of mind - take care - and yes if the diagnosis come back leukoplakia - keep a slose eye on it!!

Thank you all! I feel much better having heard from you! I am going to go to my GP tomorrow for his advice. Happy 4th of July to all of you!