 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | From my experience on this site and with my own cancer it seems that cancers with Primaries in the forward part of the tongue or gums usually present themselves early with pain and are often misdiagnosed by front line doctors at first. Primaries of the BOT or Tonsils usually present themselves only after the cancer has spread to the nodes and without pain as a factor where the lump in the neck is the first symtom. Fortunately for this latter category, the cause is more often than not HPV 16 which has so far shown to be more responsive to Tx. Usually certainly does not mean always.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
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