Herson,

Waiting times can vary depending on the hospital and the type of cancer, but since I also had a Stage II tongue cancer I thought I'd let you know my experience. I had about 5 weeks from the time of my initial diagnosis (biopsy done by oral surgeon) until the actual surgery (done by ENT with oral surgeon). During those 5 weeks I had several different types of scans, as well as other lab tests, and consultation visits with a full head/neck cancer team at a major cancer center. It was based on all of those test results that the H&N team recommended going forward with surgery first, which was then followed by radiation starting about 5 weeks after the surgery.

No one here is in a position to tell you how fast your mother's cancer is growing, as that too will vary from person to person. We've had some people here whose tumors did grow quickly, while others were quite slow-growing. Mine was there for a LONG time (and repeatedly misdiagnosed over a period of years by several doctors who all felt it was nothing to be concerned about). Even though it wasn't caught as early as it could have been, it still only got to Stage II.

Cathy