This sounds like an excellent plan. I would want to know why that tonsil is enlarged. Tonsillectomy is not a big deal to go through, and they will be able to throughly examine it in detail in pathology. The alternative would be fine needle biopsy, puncturing it 6 or more times each in a different area and aspirating some cells from each. It may or may not sample any important area. But when a tonsil or a lymph node is swollen, and that’s occurring on just one side, that isn’t a good sign. If it were me I would opt just to take it off and be sure that nothing gets missed. It’s not like it’s an important vital structure they are removing.

I might be prejudiced because my cancer first presented in a painless tonsil and neck node. They did find the cancer through a FNB, but mine had been like that for a protracted period of time it was all cancerous cells, you couldn’t miss them.

And lots of things that HPV causes are benign. The p16 marker should get consideration because that version of the virus is the most dangerous. His concern or lack of it I’m not as interested in. The pathology report tells the hard science tale, not an opinion. Better to be 100% sure with that second opinion and further biopsy of the swollen tonsil. Best of luck with this, let us know what the outcome is. B

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.