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#148436 04-17-2012 04:08 PM
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Hi everyone,
I'm new here and a bit overwhelmed. Let me give a bit of background on myself.

I began having issues with my tongue about 6 months ago, when my second child was just a month old. I noticed a whitish area and a loss of tastebuds all around the outer edge of my tongue. I saw my regular dentist, an ENT, an oral surgeon, and also had a velscope exam at yet another dentist. Everything was fine at each exam. I was still worried (I have health anxiety anyway) but decided to let things go at least for the time being. I have no health insurance and I was out of money from all these appointments.

Well, fast forward a bit and I've now found a lump INSIDE my tongue, maybe a half inch to an inch from the tip & slightly off center. It is pea-sized, round, and mobile. I can feel the edges distinctly and can move it around a bit with my fingers. Nothing can be seen from the outside of the tongue at all, it can only be felt with either my fingers or my teeth. It is around the area where the anterior lingual glands are. I do not remember hurting this area and it's now been there at least a month with no sign of going away. I admit I have numerous cavities that developed through my pregnancy and I'm working to gradually get them repaired. I don't think that has anything to do with this though.

I tried to get the oral surgeon to feel the area but he told me he could not even feel anything! To me it's blatantly obvious. I don't know where to go from here. I really want it removed and am losing sleep over it. The thing is, I know my ENT would refer me to the oral surgeon for removal but he is the one who could not even detect it when I pointed it out to him!

Any advice would be appreciated. I don't think I'll be able to rest until I have a biopsy or removal of this lump & know what it is. Does anyone have any idea what it could be, besides cancer? I'm petrified right now & have two young kids that need me.

Thank you in advance.


queenbee
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Welcome to OCF! I would advise you to find an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist) who treats oral cancer patients. Some deal more with putting tubes in kids ears. Explain your concerns and ask them to do a biopsy of the lump. Of course it can be many other things. Im not a medical professional but have knowledge of oral cancer from being on this forum and a former patient 3 times. Dont put it off any longer! Find out once and for good what it is and then take care of it so you can enjoy your family.

Hope its nothing to worry about! Good luck!


Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile
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Thank you Christine. Will they do a biopsy or excise the whole thing?

Is an FNA acceptable or can it miss cancers at times? Also, is a tongue biopsy particularly painful? Will I need help caring for my kids afterwards?

Thanks again


queenbee
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Hi there I originally had no visible sign of my tumor it was just a reddened area and sore.

Go see another ENT ask him or her to palpate the area and remove it. An FNA is okay but excision with give you a definite answer. Good luck!


Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
Cheryld #148444 04-17-2012 07:20 PM
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Thanks, Cheryl. I have been looking online but I don't think there's an ENT that specializes in oral cancer within about 3 hours from me. Is it essential to see one that does? Should I rather go back to the oral surgeon? I am sorry for all the questions. I am just afraid of making the wrong choice and making something worse.


queenbee
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So Cheryl, am I correct in saying that your tumor was inside your tongue? Was it a mass that you could feel, such as what I'm describing?

I've read a lot since I discovered this and have not found any instances of cancer developing inside the tongue with nothing visible outside, that's why I'm asking for more details from you. What I read also seems to indicate that most tongue cancers develop on the edges of the tongue and that it's rare for it to affect the dorsal tongue. Is this true? Can you tell me more about your tumor?

Thank you


queenbee
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One additional question to whomever may know the answer:

I just read in another thread that a scan could rule out the need for a biopsy. Is this true? Would a scan even pick up a small lump within the tongue and be able to tell if it needs to be removed or not?

What kind of scan would this person have been referring to?

Thanks again, I apologize for being full of questions.


queenbee
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I know you are upset and worried. Im a mom and I know how it feels to think "what will happen to my children?". Take it step by step. You need to take care of yourself so you can care for others.

Here is more info. I am also going to give you a link to the main OCF pages where it talks about diagnosis. Too often new members are so hungry for instant info that they miss checking the main pages where there is tons of important things to read.

A FNA is not as good as a regular biopsy. Yes, it will be sore for a while. If I had to take a guess, I would say the first week will be tender and then it will gradually improve. You could be sore for 2 weeks, never know or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who bounce back quickly and in 3 days you are ok. If I were in your shoes, I would line up helpers for the first 4 or 5 days. Not that you will be incapacitated, but you may not be feeling up to caring for the demands of young children from morning til night.

It is very important to get this checked. Not that I would think it is cancer. That cant be diagnosed over the internet. I am basing this statement on what you said, that it has been there for a while. First you noticed a patch then the lump. Not all tongue cancers can be seen with looking in a mirror, many are located in the base of tongue where its not possible to look. I cant predict what your doc will do in regards to if they will excise it or do a biopsy. Dont worry! Whatever they do will be a step in the right direction (unless they dont biopsy it). A biopsy is the only way to know for certain if it is cancer.

Wishing you all the best with this!

Diagnosis (from main OCF pages)


Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile
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Posts: 112
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Hi HoneyBee. I�m young and had tongue cancer. A white thing + a ulcer showed up, after 3 doctors I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a biopsy in october 28, 2011 that came back as displasy. Wrong, since It was cancer. I was stage I, only because me and my boyfriend were REALLY resilient.

We didn�t rest until the problem is solved.

Is the biopsy painfull? For me, yes! But I could handle it and I�m a baby girl, not a mother buy a crying spoiled baby. I was able to eat after 3 days. After 20 days I was like nothing happened (I didn�t knew I had cancer yet).

I had 2 surgeries than and keeping my life. Hope it�s nothing with you! But be resilient and don�t rest until you have an answer! smile


December, 2011 - T1N0M0 SSC Oral Tongue sugery (Dec 07, 2011). Partial glossectomy, primary closure. Selective Neck dissection, all 57 nodes free. 29 at diagnosis, no risk factors at all. No smoking, drinking and HPV negative. Can you explain? I can't.
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hello there. To try to help you answer some questions. My cancer was in my tongue, and didn't have any signs on the outer parts of my tongue until it made my tongue swell up against my teeth and that was when I noticed something was wrong, otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed. I saw my dentist and an oral surgeon for 5 months and they both swore up and down that it wasn't cancer until the biopsy the oral surgeon did that was for "precancer" came back as cancer stage 3. Mine was in my tongue, almost near the middle but more on the right side and near the back part of my tongue.

When they did the biopsy, my tongue was pretty tender for quite a while, but I was able to go on with life as usual, except for eating, I had to eat softer stuff for a while, but like I said, mine was near the back and pretty big, and I had a lot of pain before they biopsied, so it only intensified the pain I already was experiencing, so if you do get a biopsy, your experience may not be as bad as mine was.

Is your spot causing you any pain?

Also, if you saw that oral surgeon already, one or more times, and he/she was still insisting there wasn't anything there, you can try to see them again, but it may be wiser to try to see someone else that has more experience with oral cancer.

As for scans, it has been my experience that they would rather biopsy before scan, but that may not always be the case. I would just try to see someone who has knowledge and experience with oral cancer, an ENT or oral surgeon. I see an oral surgeon who is a head and neck cancer specialist now and he is amazing.

I hope that you get answers to your questions soon and hope that this isn't cancer, but if it is, this group is a great group of supportive people! will keep you in my thoughts!


25/female at diagnosis
Dx;stage 3 SCC tongue 03/25/2010
Surgery 04/13/2010
Trach,ng tube, peg feeding tube
Hemiglossectomy, right side neck dissection, 40 lymph nodes removed. Free-Flap transplant to tongue.
30 rounds IMRT ended July 15,2010
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