Hi, I am new here. My mum was diagnosed with oral cancer stage 1 in her cheek lining (right side) back in January 2009. She is over at UCSF and was scheduled for surgery as soon as the could fit her in, which was 6 weeks later. They removed the cancer from the cheek, 20 lymph nodes and a small section of her jaw.

One of the lymph nodes contained cancer, the rest did not. Besides that the doctor said he would have prefered that the margins were wider on her test results. Radiation is an option, but the tumor board did not advise it based on her results. I am so worried and confused and in desperate need to find some answers. My main question what is the likelihood as the cancer spread to one lymph node that it could spread to somewhere else in the body?

Thanks for your help.

Nina

Nina

Your question is a very good one. Unfortunately, there is no good answer. Numbers or percentages are what we all crave but even when there are generalities like recurrence or metastasis (fancy term for "spreading somewhere else"), we can't attach them to any individual.
That said, and remember I am not a doctor of medicine but law, I want to try and help [quote]I am so worried and confused and in desperate need to find some answers.[/quote]
My GUESS (based on Stage 1, the tumor board advising against radiation, cancer is one node out of 20) is that the likelihood is low. My understanding is that the lymph node system is a major gateway for the cancer spreading out of the oral cavity to "elsewhere". Think of the lymph nodes as "stepping stones" so if a lot of them have cancer, then it is clearly on the move. It does not sound like that here. Again no guarantees. Mine was Stage IV, had spread to several lymph nodes, and even came back after months of radiation and chemotherapy and it has NOT "spread to somewhere else in the body".
You need to be strong for your Mum, and worrying won't help either of you. So take a deep breath and try to relax. Just be sure to have your Mum examined on a very regular basis. Best wishes and good luck

Nina

Welcome to OCF. Wishing your mom a speedy recovery. Your question is one we all have in the backs of our minds. Recurrance can be a terrifying thing. Ive gone thru it last year. Dont waste time worrying about it, have faith in her doctors. At this point Im sure she is seen on a regular basis by many different professionals. If a recurrance would happen it would be caught very early.