As you can see from my signature, my husband is one of those people Nelie is talking about. His dentist identified a small leukoplakia on one side of his tongue that had not been there on his previous visit. A biopsy by an oral surgeon showed "moderate dysplasia," not cancer. By the time a local ENT did an excisional biopsy to remove the whole thing a month later, it had turned to SCC in situ, with a tiny bit superficially invasive -- very similar to your mom's situation, it sounds like.

My husband, who is in his 50s, did not have additional surgery or radiation. Once the cancer diagnosis came back, he got a second opinion at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, one of the top centers in the US for this kind of cancer (and fortunately quite close to us). He is checked there regularly and, in an abundance of caution, gets seen between those appointments by the ENT who did the excisional biopsy. He has also had two PET scans that showed no activity.

Like Nelie, I'd recommend a second opinion at a comprehensive cancer center with a specialized head and neck cancer clinic. You want the opinions of physicians who see these every day. A starting point for finding such a facility is here .

And, as you know, your mom needs to quit smoking.

All the best,
Leslie