My mom had her appt today at Sloan Kettering at it seemed very positive. She has a mucoepidermoid carcinoma in the minor salivary gland (lower lip). The dr. had scheduled surgery for March 12 to remove tumor. He will be removing part of her lip until margins are clear. Upon physical examination, he has determined that the cancer has not spread to her lymph nodes. He believes that this will take care of the problem and the cancer will be gone. He said that an MRI or Pet Scan would not be necessary. When I asked him what stage of cancer it was, he said that it is not really important because the outcome is the same. Surgery.. He believed it was low to intermediate grade.

I am very happy with his optimism and I know that my mom is at the best place possible but I am afraid to be too happy with his diagnosis. Has anyone ever had just a lip disection? He also said that he would know more once he was in surgery. Should I be insisting on more tests for my mom? If anyone has any experience with this, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for your time.

I wouldn't be happy with one doctor's opinion, even if he is at one of the best cancer institutions in the world. I am surprised that he has not staged the disease also. While this particular cancer like to stay localized, I would want to know for sure. He can't tell that without proper scans etc. My guess is he is a surgeon. I am less interested in what he believes than I am in what he knows for sure.

I am surprised as well by his remarks and I haven't been around nor know near as much as Brian. I have learned that you need to be looking out for your own interests and I would definitely seek another qualified cancer specialists' opinion. I went to 5 before I thought I was informed enough to make a decision about my life. This cancer has proven time and again to be one tough mean SOB and most doctors don't believe "only surgery" is the prudent treatment modality.