Dear MM,

I hope that your spots are what my dermatologist long ago termed a skin spot: an FLS......."a funny-looking spot." I have had surgery for SCC of the hard palate and adjacent maxilla, so if it turns out to require surgery, you can ask me some questions. My surgery did not involve the soft palate. It goes right near it, but is confined to the hard palate.

Yes, this is the very best source for information of all sorts, and for comfort and support, even if others don't have the same type of problem.

It seems that an oral surgeon in Southern California should be able to do the preliminary work of diagnosing your spot, especially if you are getting a biopsy. If it comes back to indicate cancer, then i would recommend going to a cancer center.

Keep us posted, and if surgery is required, let me know. I might have more information for you then.

XO--Colleen

Colleen--T-2N0M0 SCC dx'd 12/28/05...Hemi-maxillectomy, partial palatectomy, neck dissection 1/4/06....clear margins, neg. nodes....no radiation, no chemo....Cancer-free at 4 years!