My husband is waiting for his biopsy results next week. we believe it is tongue cancer. he also has had black gums, on his bottom teeth, which hes never had before, cracked lips on the side of his lips and now has noticed an indent on the top of his head. If he does have cancer, could these symptoms be also related? Any advice would be appriciated. Oh, one other question. All the web sites I have read state "earlydetection" for better survival rate. How long do you have the white mark on side of tongue for it to be early? How long are these symptoms on the body to make them advanced?

Your questions are difficult to answer, Heather. Of course the earlier cancer is detected the better chance for a full and complete recovery. There are so many factors that make it difficult to explain what is considered early. A persons age, physical condition, other health issues (ex. diabetic) all contribute to what a doctor would consider to be catching something early. There is all kinds of info on the web, some true and others not so factual. Be cautious when doing research. Im very glad you have found The Oral Cancer Foundation's website. This site complies with Health on the Net standards which means you will find correct medical info here on the forum and also on the main OCF pages. There are many very interesting articles listed on the main pages where you will learn a considerable amount of info about oral cancer.

My tumor had been in my mouth for probably 3 or 4 months before I was diagnosed and I was a Stage I. I was otherwise in good health and the white sore looked to me like a canker sore, it had been unchanged in size the whole time it was there.

I would guess that the indent is not related to the other symptoms. If your husband is a smoker or tobacco user, now would be the time to quit. When I hear black gums it makes me think of tobacco usage, like the tar in cigarettes. My suggestion would be if it does turn out to be cancer, work on getting the best nutrition and hydration. Is it possible your husband is dehydrated causing the cracks on his lips? Try to get him to take in a minimum of 48 oz of water daily.

I am hoping the biopsy comes back as nothing serious. Please keep us posted and we will try to help you both with everything.

Thanks so much for the reply. He is a smoker and a drinker and isnt slowing down until his results. He is very stubborn and in denial. The side of his right tongue is white patchy and he has felt something for atleast 8 months, said it was different. He is very pastey around the corners of his mouth. Is this common, thick saliva?

Christine gave you a good answer. In oral cancer circles, especially with tobacco caused disease, the is often a chance to find it as a "pre cancer," before it has really gone all the way to malignancy. Of course the biopsy will tell you if this is the case or not. If it is cancer, there will be lots of scans to do to evaluate the extent of it, and as a result give him his staging. An early stage (1 or 2) certainly has a survival advantages statistically. A later stage (3-4) is still survivable, but the fight is harder, and the collateral damage from the treatments, referred to as morbidity, can be high. There is a page on the main web site about staging.

It's possible thickened saliva would be related to irritated tissue in the mouth for whatever reason. Where is he being seen?

what is involved with pre cancer? he had a biopsy taken before and no cancer exsisted, 2 years ago. He is being seen in Mississauga.

Cells that are transforming to cancerous from normal are on a continuum of gradual genetic changes. Those changes often produce visible symptoms in the mouth like discoloration of the cells/tissue to red or white, changes in the texture of the tissue, ulcerations, and tissue that is friable or bleeds easily when touched (these are only a few of the possibilities). Those kinds of symptoms may occur before the cells reach the point which they are fully malignant. Hence the term finding it as a pre cancer.

This is why we can discover cancer before it is fully developed in smokers, but not so much in HPV caused cancers.

Heather, I am a former smoker. My poor judgement in being a smoker almost cost me my life. I did not quit immediately upon diagnosis. I first needed to wrap my head around the situation and figure out how I was going to get thru it. Being a single mother without a caregiver made my illness a huge burden. On my way to my gastro doc to discuss getting a feeding tube I finally realized that I did have some control over what was happening. It was up to me if I continued to smoke and possibly make things worse or if I was going to fight with everything I had to survive. It was that moment of realization that I chose to fight and that was when I crumpled up my pack of cigarettes and threw them out the window. I told my son I would never ever smoke again and 5 years later I still havent. I honestly think that if I hadnt quit smoking that I would not have survived my 3 rounds of oral cancer. Unfortunately due to my smoking habit, I am now disfigured. I told you this story to pass along to your husband. I know its not easy to quit smoking but it can be done if he makes up his mind to do it. By quitting now it will be beneficial to him no matter the diagnosis will be.

Heather, was the first biopsy sent to an oral pathologist or a general pathologist? If symptoms persisted, the biopsy should be redone or re read. Pathologists aren't perfect, nor is the biopsy that was taken. My first biopsy was misread. The dyplastic cells, read has hyperkeratotic, had a 50% chance of turning to cancer. And it did two years later.

I am not sure where the first biopsy was taken. His saliva seems to be thick at the sides of his lips. Possible dehydration? Is this a sign of oral cancer? One more week until his results.