Hello all!
I am 22 years old and in the Marine Corps. Yesterday I went to dental to have them look at a lump in my mouth. The dentist gave it a quick exam and told me to come in this morning for another examination. She told me that the lump shouldn't be there and she looked very concerned. Today they took x-rays and looked at it a little. The dentist is sending me to the oral surgeon tomoorow for another exam. I asked him what it was and he told me it was a good chance it was cancer. I'm a little worried here. Let me rephraze that. I'm scared to death. I'm only 22 years old and have been dipping about a can a day for the last 2 years and before that I smoked for 4 years. The lump is about an inch in diameter located on the right side of my lower jaw on the bone next to the cheek. It is very hard and somewhat tender when you press on it. I don't know how long it's been there I just noticed it by accident yesterday. My question is how far along am I? What are the possibilities if this is cancer? Am I going to die? If so how long do I have to live? Are they going to have to remove part of my jaw? I'm also concerned about the type of treatment I will recieve from Military doctors? Does anyone have some advice for me because my wife and I are very scared.

Dear US Marine,

First of all, please take a deep breath and don't assume the worst at this stage. There's no point in getting ahead of yourself when the doctors have yet to perform any tests on this area. Regardless of how the results turn out, I hope this experience is enough to convince you to stop the dipping and smoking -- these can NEVER be good for your health.

Your doctors need to perform a biopsy before they can tell whether it's cancer or not -- many suspicious lumps turn out not to be cancerous. In fact, I had one in the location you describe just a couple of months ago and because of my cancer history, my oral surgeon biopsied it fairly quickly. Thankfully, the pathology report showed that it was benign.

If the biopsy results show that it is cancerous, I would strongly suggest that you try to get to a major cancer center, where you can get the input of an experienced head and neck team. It's best to attack this disease with the most extensive tools and knowledge available, if it ever comes to the point where you need them.

If you look around on this site you'll find many helpful resources and the stories of a good many people who are doing very well in the years after treatment. Please stay in touch and let us know what you find out from your biopsy.

Cathy

usmarine... First and foremost, thank you for your service to our country...

Next, I am 22 years old just like you, I am going through my own stage of fear right now due to a slightly red area in the back of my mouth. I havent ever smoked or drank with any regularity, but I did have a couple of lets say... oral encounters with some women. Little did I know this was not too smart as there are infections you can catch this way that can lead to much larger problems.

Anyway, I just want to say, Ive done alot of research on this and Cathy is right, most times it will be benign, however even if it doesnt this is a very treatable cancer, even in late stages. I know on another board I visit a member's friend had Stage IV SCC of the Tonsil with mets to a bunch of Lymph nodes in his neck. He had a radical dissection procedure and radiation and chemo and 1 year out is doing terrific. And the best news is the earlier they get it the better, stage I has an 80-90% rate of complete cure when properly identified and treated.

The biggest advice you will hear from all these wonderful people, is A. dont rush into anything, and B. If it IS Cancer (I dont like to say "the worst" cause there are worse things and you have to stay positive) to find a Comprehensive Cancer Center where a team of Oncologists and Oncological Surgeons can best treat you.

I hope and pray the best for you and keep us informed, we are here for you!

Ian.

Hello,

I am a dental hygienist and I can tell you that lumps can be lots of things besides cancer so don't panic. It is important to get it checked out and if it is cancer, then you need to get the best treatment possible, which, for oral cancer, is probably not at a military facilility. But just take things one step at a time and find out what is going on. If you need more information, we will all be here for you. Please let us know how things turn out.

But no matter what the outcome of this scare is, please stop using tobacco -- chances are this is your body's way of telling you it doesn't like having that stuff against your very delicate oral tissues every day. Take the warning at age 22 and avoid this oral cancer stuff -- it is no fun.

Barb

Slow down my friend. Your questions are the usual rush of thoughts that cross anyone's mind when the word cancer is mentioned.

Let's start with what you know....
you have a lump and the doctor has GUESSED cancer.

You need more tests and a clear head. Now is the time to enlist your wife and together you can make sure you get the facts.

Get a notebook. Take it with you tomorrow to the docs. Have your wife go with you if she can and write everything down no matter how trivial.

When my husband first noticed his lumps he waited 3 weeks to tell me about it. I got him to the doctor and the first words out of her mouth were a series of explitives that ended with the word cancer.

He freaked immediately and came home and hit the internet looking for any kind of cancer that would cause lumps in the neck. Needless to say it was a pointless search, especially since he never came close to his actual diagnosis.

Soooooo

Take a deep breath, slow down, and THINK! Thinking is your best friend at the moment. Go to your appointment tomorrow with a positive mind, even if the diagnosis is cancer.

When you get all of the details then come back here and let us know and we can help you through this journey.

There is an old saying... don't borrow trouble. This is particularly important when it comes to this disease. Get the facts about what is wrong and then we can help you plan your next step.

I know this is overwhelming and especially at your age. But panic and worry will only cause you to miss the important things that you need to hear.

I know... easy for me to say. But we have been there and done that and the most important role I have played in this whole event has been to keep my husband grounded with what is not what might happen.

So, step back for a moment and collect yourself and your wife should do the same. Decide to face each obstacle as it confronts you and know that you have found a place where you can get real answers.

Use us, we are here!

Best of luck and let us know what the doctors say.

Cindy

Hi there. As my mom used to say "never put the cart before the horse" or in otherwise do not worry until there is something to worry about.
I know you are scared but try and think positive thoughts because in the end it may not be cancer afterall but something much more pleasant and easy to treat.
Hang in there and bless you,
Barbara~

What good advice these guys give!
Easy for us to tell you not to panic huh?
We hear from lots of folks who get into a major funk just at the thought of cancer, I know we did and my husband is much older than you.
But you know, the odds are with you, you are a young VERY fit guy and whatever comes down the pike you can beat it.
We have had acouple of guys here who used VA facilities and did really well. We can address that later when we know what your biopsy results are.
Let us know when you get them , try not to spend the entire time on this forum looking for symptoms, you will drive yourself nuts.

What we hope for is never to hear from you again, except to say "False Alarm".

Take Care
Marica