Hello everyone. I am a 36 year old female that received a diagnosis of oral cancer. Yesterday. I had an abnormality found 9 years ago and have had 3 prior biopsy's that came back a severe epithelial dysplasia. Well, this one (4th growth in 9 years) came back as cancer. I am waiting a call from the doctor's office for when I will be scheduled for surgery to remove a portion of my tongue. While in surgery, they will determine the exact stage and the find out if a neck dissection, chemo, or radiation is needed. Interestingly enough, I work in healthcare and help patients with head and neck cancers. So, I'm really digesting this as a caregiver right now and not as a patient. I'm happy to find this site and look forward to the support that it can give me as I continue on this journey.

Wow, I guess you must have a fairly advanced understanding of what could be potentially coming your way, compared to most of us who've been down this road before you. All I can say, is good luck with that staging diagnosis. Hopefully those TNM numbers are as close to 0 as possible, especially the N & M.

Welcome to OCF, Cyndi! Im so sorry you are here as a patient. This must be especially difficult for you being that you work in the H&N cancer field already. What type of job do you do?

Dysplasia commonly returns when its removed. It doesnt always become cancerous. Im very sorry yours has! You are young so hopefully you will be better able to bounce back quickly after your treatments.

If you havent already obtained a second opinion, I would advise you to get one. If you are able to go to a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) for the 2nd opinion, even better. At a CCC, a team based approach will be used to determine the best individual treatment plan after all the tests are done. Isnt staging done after a PET or CT scan to help determine how big the tumor is and if it has spread to any other areas? Surgeons will advise the patient to have surgery, once tissue has been removed it cant get put back. This is another reason why a second opinion is so important.

Best wishes with everything!

Hi Cyndi, I am sorry that you need to be here. Having said that, this is a wonderful place to come for support and advice.
I too was a bit peturbed to read that staging will be done during surgery. Staging should always be done prior to any treatment being offered and includes scans - CTs/MRIs/PETs. Please check on this. I also highly recommend a 2nd opinion as Christine says, at a CCC. It is so important to get this right, from the start.
I wish you well and hope your staging is a good one. No N . No M.
Tammy

Hi Cyndi, welcome to the circle of friends. While you waiting for a treatment plan, it may help you pass the time by eating all your favorite foods now. There will be a period of time when you won't be able to taste or eat much. There's also the possibility of taste changes post treatment. Indulge yourself now.