 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Rich, welcome to OCF! Sorry you have gone thru so many scares and surgeries! Ive had oral cancer 3 times, myself. The second time the tumor was almost the exact same spot as it was the first time I got sick. All it takes is one teeny tiny cell to be missed for the cancer to come back. Your questions are ones that may not have specific answers to them. Its pretty difficult to know the why's behind what goes wrong in our bodies to turn something non-cancerous into something that is cancer.
My suggestion would be to go to a large cancer center where an entire team of specialists will work together. The large cancer centers will have the most experience dealing with oral cancer and the pre-cancers too.
Since it keeps coming back, I am surprised you have not done radiation. That would help to kill any cells that could have been missed.
Hope you continue to be in good health and have no more recurrences.
ChristineSCC 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  | 
