Oral Lichen Planus is also how I got tongue cancer. It started as a white patch on the bottom right side of my tongue that I did not even know was there until it was spotted during a routine dentist appointment back in 2017. I saw an ENT then who diagnosed it by looking at it (no biopsy). He said it wasn't cancer and not to worry. So, I didn't worry.

Fast forward two years later when a large bump (tumor) grew in the same spot. My dentist referred me to an ENT again who thought it appeared malignant. I had a biopsy last November (2019), which confirmed it as Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). The ENT referred me to the University of Michigan because they specialize in head and neck cancers.

I had surgery on December 19, 2019 to remove a third of my tongue and they reconstructed it with a flap (taken from forearm). I also had a neck dissection to remove 10 lymph nodes from my jaw (one of which tested positive for cancer - putting me at stage 4).

As of today, I am 5 weeks into radiation & chemo treatment, with 2 weeks remaining. Including 1 final round of chemo (of a scheduled 3).

I can't help but wonder what could have been different had I monitored the lichen planus more closely.

"Silence like a cancer grows."

It's good that you are getting this taken care of before it gets really aggressive and spreads. Good luck with your upcoming surgery. Stay positive. Otherwise, the cancer wins.