Hi All,

I am new this this forum and looking for some advice.

I am 24yo and live in the United Kingdom, smoked since the age of 14, stopped when 22 and stupidly started again at 23 but recently stopped again. Rewind two months ago I noticed a hard, firm, non-moveable lump on the right side of the hard palate. Initially it did not cause any immediate concern, I put it down to something I must have ate or something else along them lines. However, two months on and to today's date (03/02/18) the lump is still there and slightly increased in size and beginning to marginally hurt when touched.

I am currently receiving orthodontist treatment for an open bite at my local hospital. I attended my scheduled appointment yesterday (02/02/18). I told my orthodontist about the lump and she didn't know what it was, she got the doctor who also was unsure what it was, he questioned a possible torus, but said it was not in the place they occur or feel like one, he then got a specialist who deals with lumps etc who luckily works in the same department, however, I am not his patient and he briefly looked due to time constraints (sorry, cannot remember his title, however, apparently specialises in oral lumps etc). He looked and felt the lump and himself was unsure, he did not seem sure that it was a torus and questioned if he should send me for a CT scan and a biopsy, then decided to let me wait till my next orthodontist appointment to see if it is 'still there' - but was advised in the meantime to ring them if it gets any bigger or gets more painful and come straight back.

Obviously from all three of there reactions and them not knowing what it was and the mention of a CT and biopsy to then tell me to wait has understandably made me now worry. I keep thinking to myself it may be a good sign and potentially nothing sinister if I'm told to wait. But don't know what to do from here? Shall I wait? Or seek further help? The orthodontist does not specialise in this stuff (their words not mine) and the specialist was not my doctor he was just simply checking it out for my consultant.

Any adivce would be appreciative.

Welcome to the forum. I’m glad you have quit smoking and hopefully that’s the last time you’ll have to quit.

Please understand that we are a group of patients and caregivers. We have lived through the experience of having oral cancer but do not have any medical training. We are not able to diagnose and anyway, you won’t want us to as it will be really irresponsible of us.

The best course of action for now is to follow your doctors’ advice if your next orthodontist appointment is not too far off. Alternatively, you may consider speaking to your GP and asking him/her for a referral to an ENT who specializes in oral cancer. Of course, if things change while you’re waiting, you should go straight back to your doctors — as they have advised you to.

Hi Gmcraft! Thanks for the reply

That's what I thought and normally do, follow the advice of the doctor. However, on this occasion it has made me read more into the given situation. All three professionals, even the specialist was not sure what it was and said it's "concerning" - they even said they was not sure what to do and discussed between themselves forgetting I have ears! Mentioning a CT and Biopsy, then the specialist only had limited time due to having his own patients so said that if my next appointment is not that far away to wait till then. In the meantime of this the assistant made my appointment but it is not until the end of March!

Personally I feel like there was not adequate time on examination of my lump as I was in my appointment with the orthodontist and the specialist has no involvement in my care who was also at the time running 50mins behind and was simply looking for his colleague who was concerned about it.

Initially I thought, ok I'll wait, then looked at the date on the next appointment letter (which I normally have to wait for in the post) and my next appointment is nearly 8 weeks away!

I know I sound like a lot of it is anxiety based and I'm probably hyping it up because of this, but I feel like 2 months is a bit too long to wait to be seen again, surely?

I understand your fear of the doctors missing something entirely. It happened to my husband. However, trying to find your answer or a “diagnosis” on the internet is not the way to go. In your case,I really would get a referral to an ENT who specializes in oral cancer (not a general ENT). The doctor needs to have seen multiple cases of oral cancer to know what he’s looking at and if it warrants a biopsy. When my husband went to see the ENT, initially they scoped him and then ordered a biopsy. They would not say it’s oral cancer until after that. That’s how careful they have to be.

I understand you’re in the UK (I am in Canada where we have socialized medicine as well) so I don’t know how flexible the NHS is. But you should go to your GP and ask for a referral to an ENT, not a dentist or the orthodontist, for a second opinion. It may mean some waiting. My husband waited six weeks for his appointment. But any kind of referral will take time no matter where you live — thst’s the feeling I get. If you are worried, then get on with the process as soon as you can.

I was not overly concerned about the lump until all three professionals was not sure what it was and the mentioning of the CT and biopsy.

The UK is great in regards of free treatment. However, you are unable to pick and chose who you see, they allocate who is available to you and you do not really have much say who you see.

The firm hard lump is still there, however, another hard lump, though smaller has developed. I rang the clinic and they are wanting me to come to the hospital tomorrow morning to see the specialist. So hopefully some further investigations will happen (if needed!)

Any sore in the mouth for more than 2 or 3 weeks which does not heal on its own needs to be evaluated by a professional. Here in the US, an ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients is usually the best option. Only thru a biopsy can it be determined for certain exactly what the sore/spot/lump is.

I highly recommend seeking out an experienced ENT to get to the bottom of whats going on in your mouth! It could be nothing serious, there are many things besides cancer mouth sores can be. But, if your sore does turn out to be cancer you will want to get it diagnosed and get treated before it progresses. I cant stress enough how important it is to get this figured out ASAP. Dont waste your time with the wrong kind of doctor. Here in the US, orthodontists do kids braces, most would have no clue how oral cancer tumors present themselves or its symptoms. Im sure this is the same everywhere, not all doctors or dentists know enough about oral cancer to effectively help someone who possibly has it. Its very rare for them to see it so they arent able to recognize what needs further evaluating and what doesnt. With that in mind, if you are being evaluated by someone who is not familiar with oral cancer or unusual mouth tissue issues then its a waste of time which could be a major mistake if whats going on is anything serious.

Hopefully what you have is not anything serious. Please dont play around, get examined by the correct doctor. Best wishes!