Hey Dino,

I have read MANY of your posts and have yet to reply. I am no expert, but I am a patient who has done much research, and I also work in healthcare. I am glad that you have tried to put this behind you. I see you are considering a biopsy. If I am not mistaken, it seems you said you've had biopsies in the past...all negative. You have been seen by many specialists, none of whom suspect cancer. You state that the main reason for your concern is because you smoked. Genearally (not always), smoking leads to cancer in the 6th or 7th decade of life, if I recall, you are much younger than that. I am very glad to hear that you quit. Many (not all) are preceeded by a precancerous lesions that can be detected by a thorough oral examination. It sounds like you have had plenty of those. Granted, there are some cases that remain asymptomatic until later stages, you do not seem to be at any great risk. My cancer (a Stage II) was very obvious. I had a 2 cm lesion (sore), that felt somewhat like a burn/blister on the lingual surface of my lower gum (beneath my molar. It was there for a while before it was dx'd as cancer. I was truly blessed that I was only a Stage II. As many people have stated, many, many things can cause a swollen tonsil. It does not sound like cancer is a concern in your case. I have had several biopsies, and, I don't know about you, I don't enjoy getting my mouth cut up...AT ALL! However, if this will give you peace of mind...please have the biopsy, move on and enjoy your life. Useless worry gets us nowhere, and could cause us to feel symptoms when there is nothing wrong. Best of luck to you, and hopefully you will be able to put this to rest in the near future for your sanity's sake.

Take care!