Steve:

I had a recent similar scare. I finished rad and chemo treatment for BOT in mid-July. Docs did first scan end of August and I was told that the scan results could not clearly be read. My ENT advised that she wanted to admit me for one night and to do a direct laryngoscopy with biopsy to BOT. If results were positive she was going to go ahead and do necessary surgery while I was already under. It was quite scary not knowing until I woke up whether or not a portion of my tongue was removed. I had already been advised that such surgery could result in a permanent speech impairment as well as permanent taste bud destruction. I woke up in recovery room and immediately began talking to myself out loud to see if I had a speech impairment and found nothing. Everything came back negative including mass of lymph nodes and surrounding tissue she removed from right side of my neck. I just have an ugly 3" incision that is now healing.

I was told that it was quite common for the first scan not to be conclusive with BOT patients, typically about 50% of the cases. Your situation is probably the same with no worry.

Bill Dozier