Hi. My name is Marni and I was diagnosed with tongue cancer in February 2006. At the end of March I had a partial glossectomy and neck dissection, and a tissue graft from my thigh. I will not need radiation. It would be great to hear from others who have had a similar surgery.

Same thing here - only in January of 2006 and I did not have the graft. I also - did not have radiation. I did have the neck dissection on both sides of the neck and all nodes were negative. Mine was borderline stage I/II - but the reports all call it Stage II.

Hi Marni,

Welcome to the OCF. Although I did not need a graft, I did have a partial glossectomy and modified neck dissection. This was in April of 2005.

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest that you look around the site for a wealth of information on oral cancer. There are also 2 search areas, if you have not found them yet. You can look for any topics that you want to read about from the search engine on the home page. Also, you can search the forum for topics that you might have questions about. This is available at the top of the forum page(s).

Jerry

Hi Marni and welcome,

Great to hear you do not have to have radiation but I certainly hope you have been getting regular cancer checkups. I too had a stage 2 SCC right lateral tongue which resulted in a partial glossectomy (25%) in 3 November 2003. Had clear margins and no lymph node involvement with a clean bill on Dec. 1, 2003. No radiation was recommended.

However, just before Christmas, I noticed a small growth starting just under the tip of my tongue. By the time of my 2nd surgery on Feb. 3, 2004, I the SCC had grown so aggressively I had to have a near total glossectomy and 36 radiations.

I am relating this not to frighten but simply urge anyone in your position to be very diligent about oral care and regular checkups. I pray you never have a recurrence and enjoy life. But after one has had this disease, life is never quite the same. Just use common sense and be watchful without fretting.

Jim
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SCC Rt lateral tongue Dx 9/03, Surg 11/03 (T2/N0M0);recur SCC BOT and anterior tongue Dx 1/04; surg 2/04 (T4/N0M0) subtotal glossectomy, forearm free flap, floor of mouth reconstruction,pharyngoplasty;trach until 3/04;PEG still have; 36 rad (3/04-5/04)therapy 12/04-12/05; 2 esophagus endoscopies

Marni,

Welcome. You'll find great information here and even greater people.

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 tongue cancer and had my surgery in February. I had a partial glossectomy and had a modified neck dissection on the right and middle of my neck. I did not need a graft, but the surgeon did some reconstructive work with my tongue after he removed the tumor. I do not need radiation at this point.

I'd like to second Jim's suggestion to get checked regularly. Though I was told my chance of reoccurence were small, I'm having checkups about every 2 months. It is a little nerve-wracking going in, but great to get the OK.

Best Wishes and let me know if I can help in anyway. --Aimee

Thanks for your suggestions and support. I am getting regular checkups; I had a CT scan June 15 and will have another in August. I am just starting to explore this site and have already found so much strength from the experiences of others.

I have a similar story to Jim above having had stage 1 localized tumor on left lateral border of tongue back in december 2001. tumor was removed with clean margins and neck disection confirmed no nodal involvment, no radition was done. just this past march (4 years from initial diagnosis) i had a recurrence with a smaller tumor on left side of tongue. it was removed with decent margins but most of my tongue was spared. just finished 30 radiaton treatments. i am not suggesting you need raediaon now but most importantly that you get followed up every 2 months forever. don't let them spread out your follow-ups down the road even if you are getting clean bills of health. microscopic cancer cells left behind can come back after a long time and come back fast. i hadn't even dentified my recurrence myslelf despite daily obsessions of checking my mouth. good luck

This is my first posting. I was diagnosed Stage 2 SCC left side of my tongue in January 2005 and had partial glossectomy and partial neck dissection w/11 nodes removed, all clear so no radiation. I've been followed very closely and noticed a small area of concern in March 2006, was biopsied immediately and found to have a very early recurrence. I had another partial glossectomy in April with clear margins--my doctor thought this time my speach would be affected but it wasn't. The pain was a lot worse with this surgery and recovery seemed longer but am now doing great.