Hi, my name is Kimberly. My best friend's husband is about 50-ish. He chews tobaco, and has, I guess, for 30 years or so. He has a lession or sore area on his tongue. After 3 weeks, he went to his dentist, who said it looks like calcium deposits. I'm not sure if the dentist sent him to the oral surgeon ir if he deicided to go, I think the dentist sent him for his peace of mind. The oral surgeon has scheduled a biopsy. (the appoint with the oral surgeon was last Tuesday I think, the biopsy is this Wed-friend is upset the biopsy was not done right then, is it common to do them right on the spot? Is it common to schedule for a week later?-she's a wreck)

I was noticing from the posts here, that people suggest a specialist in oral cancer. Would an oral surgeon count or is there some other specialist? I am also reading about chest X-rays. Are those commonly done when having a biopsy to determine if it is oral cancer?

What is everything who would advice he have done and by whom to have this diagnosed properly?

(I think it is white and on the side of his tongue and sore)

Kimberly,

Welcome to OCF, albeit under stressful circumstances. The next step would logically be the biopsy and until that is done, there is not a lot of options. If the news should be less than favorable, there is some time to learn more and this site would be a great resource to begin with. Don't panic yet and start digging into too much that gets the mind working overtime. Keep your friend busy with other things to keep the mind from worrying. I am hoping the news is not as bad as it seems right now but regardless, you will have an answer within the next few days.

Best wishes for good news!

Ed

Hey Kimberly,
My hubby had a sore that resembled an ulcer on his tongue. He waited months before going to a regular family doc, who treated it for about 6 or 8 weeks, and then sent him on to an ENT. The ENT biopsied and referred him to an oral surgeon because it was cancer. His biopsy also took a week before we got the results. Dan's oral surgeon was a very good surgeon, but did not ever say anything about him possibly needing radiation even though the nodes they took were negative. If I could choose again, I would have gotton to a hospital that had a head/neck cancer center instead of staying with the oral surgeon for many months to follow.
Thanks,
Debbie

Kimberly,

What I found to be important was the extent of hands-on experience of the doctors involved in dealing with head/neck cancer. I was initially told by an internist, a dentist, and an oral pathologist that the sore on my tongue was nothing serious, but it kept getting worse, month after month after month (and I never smoked).

An oral surgeon finally biopsied it and found that it was malignant, but he also concluded it was not appropriate for him to "go it alone". He immediately involved a team of head/neck oncologists from major Boston hospitals. While the test results indicated the cancer had not invaded lymph nodes, the tumor was poorly differentiated and the doctors were concerned about how aggressively it might be moving. They emphatically recommended both surgery (partial glossectomy and neck dissection) and 2 1/2 months of radiation treatments. I can't argue with the results -- 15 years free of cancer.

This is the long-winded way of saying: be sure the doctors know their compentencies but also know their limitations and when to consult with other specialists.

Good luck, and please stay in touch with us.

Cathy

thanks Cathy and Debbie and Ed.

She can get overwhelmed and totally shut down and don't be able to do anything at all understress, so having some knowlegde will help me make sure she has things get done that need to be done.

has anyone heard of calcium deposits on the tongue? I haven't been able to find it anywhere online...

Cathy, congrats on the 15 yrs!

I`m just going to add one important thing, already mentioned, if biopsy is postive, need to get as quickly as possible to a major cancer hospital.........if they are too far from one, and finances are an issue, Angel Flight will fly them for free. We really learned how important getting to a major is a life saver.....Love and prayers, Dee

Kimberly,

I am a dental hygienist and oral cancer survivor. I have never heard of calcium deposits on the tongue. I have heard of and seen salivary glands, particularly on the floor if the mouth, blocked by calcium deposits, but there are no salivary glands on the tongue. Keep your fingers crossed that it is not serious but feel good that if is something, your friend didn't wait a long time to get checked out. Please let us know what happens.

Barb

I always try to keep my responses short; I may as well give up trying. Just imagine me in person - maybe you guys don't want me in Vegas!!

Everyone has the same recommendations that I would offer to you. However, I do have one additional comment. My oral surgeon did not expect the "ulcer" to be cancerous (due to my age/lack of "bad" habits), and removed what he saw on the spot. After, my medical team expressed disappointment that they were not the inital surgeons. They indicated difficulty in differentiating between scar tissue and possible cancer in the subsequent physical examinations. Furthermore, they were not positive about the footprint, so a larger sliver (back to front) was removed to ensure "clean margins".

I've heard of biopsies where a bit of tissue was removed with a needle? If this or something similar is available, I would recommend it. If it's indeed a medical problem, follow Cathy G's advice to a T. I've also found tape recording my doctor's visits (ask permission first!!) and bringing a notebook along helped keep me on track. If I needed to mentally step back during a meeting, I could listen to the tape when I returned home.

And don't forget the Ronald McDonald's homes. I belive they assist in providing places to stay for those traveling for medical assitance.

Sending warm thoughts and hope for good news....

Sabrina

To follow up Sabrina's comment about Ronald McDonald houses, I was treated at three different hospitals in the same city and each had their own low/no cost patient housing, usually walking distance from the hospital. Anyone who needs to travel for consultation or treatment should check on these.

Boston hospitals also have the low cost housing arrangments, also if travel is an issue, Angel Flight will be more than willing to help out. they will fly you and an Earth Angel will get you to your destination, they are a really great bunch of people, we flew so much that they suggested I should learn to fly. i can`t begin to say enough good about Angel Flight, they are great caring people...........Hugs, Dee

Deleting double post.

thanks everyone. The biopsy is tomorrow. Hopefully the results will be available soon, she is quite worried. If it turns out tobe cancer, I'll send her here.

THANKS!