Not being a doctor I can only share my own personal experience. An ENT who Dx'd me initially told me it had a high probability of being SCC. When I subsequently saw a head & neck surgeon, my tumor was huge and readily visible - he listed a number of things it could be besides SCC. Some were benign. There are other forms of cancer besides SCC which may or may not be as serious as SCC. That's quite a wide range of opinion between 2 doctors who specialize in the throat.

The toughest part of cancer is the initial workup and Dx. It is the time for the most fear and anxiety. Once they have all of the information and a solid Dx, things level out a lot more, especially once treatment begins.

I am basing what I said on very limited information. You didn't mention any of the particulars, what kind of doctor made the call, etc. Age and lifestyle are factors. Is she going to a comprehensive cancer center?

The next hurdle is to find out the staging and type (if it is cancer). The biopsy will reveal most of that information.