I dont even know if i am suppose to be here or not.. for the past year i have had canker sores on the left side of my tongue- i can't recall how many times.. but even stranger was the fact that i would get left ear pain- bad ear pain.. sometimes i just wanted to pull my ear out with a screwdriver (never did though).. i thought it was because i was some freak of nature... about 2 weeks ago again i got another canker sore and i knew because of the oncoming ear pain.. i looked in the mirror and there it was the little white spot.. no big deal i thought-- it goes away in a few.. but it didn't.. not only that it changed its appearance- i looked one morning and it looked like a slit in the middle.. odd little thing- so i was a little concerned.. went online- maybe not the best thing to do.. and made apt with dentist.. he didn't know what it was- did a visilite test and it was negative.. he ordered me kenalog orabase.. but he did tell me to make an apt with an oral surgeon to have a biopsy done---

mind you i am 35, non-smoker, unemployed and no insurance- i don't want to jump into any conclusions.. so i figure that i will use the medicine- the paste-- for a couple of days and see where it goes.. i have been taking for more than 48 hours and nothing- not even one change.. not one iota.. now i am little concerned-- what most concerns me is the pain.. the pain that i still have.. that and now it looks like a little crater.. not a slit but it opened up a bit..

my question- and i am sorry- but i have had to vent.. SHOULD i be concerned?? should i even be here?? is that visilite screening test 100% accurate???

should i feel like "this can't be happening to me?"

Janet, 35 and Worried

A sore that has been in your mouth for 2 or 3 weeks and has not healed should be checked by a professional. I would suggest following up with an ENT who is experienced with oral cancer.

The visilite will show abnormal cells. It doesnt necessarily mean they are cancerous cells, just that they are abnormal. The only way to tell for certain if the sore you have is cancerous is by having it biopsied.

Taking medication for 2 days isnt enough time to see if it works. keep using the medication, maybe it will help.

Even being young and a non smoker oral cancer still could unfortunately be a reality. The fastest growing segment of OC patients are younger and non smokers. HPV is now the leading cause of these young patients getting oral cancer. HPV+ oral cancer will appear in the base of tongue and tonsils. I would doubt this is your situation as your sores are on the side of your tongue. It sounds like something is irritating your mouth.

Get yourself checked out. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious!!!

I couldn't agree more with Christine. If it is anything, it's better to find out sooner rather than later so treatment can start promptly.

Hope it turns out well for you. Please let us know.

Janet, Please do yourself a favor and get to a doctor as soon as possible. This is nothing to kid yourself about. Adults don't generally get earaches...that was exactly the thing that happened to me nearly 10 years ago. My dentist, in fact, had mentioned that my HPV/leukoplakia could POSSIBLY be a precursor to cancer, and when I looked online for what could possibly be causing the ear pain, I felt it was a tumor. Unfortunately, they put off surgery for 2 months!
The earlier you deal with it the better the outcome generally is-and who knows, it could be something else-but find out asap!

Hi Jane,

I am 35 as well and just got diagnosed with tongue cancer. At first, my dentist gave me a "wait and see" approach, but after the legion kept getting larger and more painful, I bit the bullet and got a biopsy done. It was out of network and I had run out of insurance for the year (this was just last December), but I believe it was less than $200. It was worth it as it did turn out to be cancerous. I don't mean to scare you, but mine started out so innocently (a sore tongue from a rough tooth) and then seemed like it turned cancerous overnight!

If it is cancerous, you have SUCH a better prognosis with early detection. And if it's not, at least you will have peace of mind. I was advised to wait another week until my insurance for 2013 kicked in and I refused. And, it's a good thing I did.

Now, I do have a history of smoking. I quit cold turkey as soon as I got the biopsy results. I am also HPV+ so that's another risk factor. But after reading the boards and other stories, it can happen to anyone, non-smokers, never used alcohol, HPV-, health nuts, etc., even at our relatively young age. Please take everyone's advice on here and at least get a biopsy done. It will cost you so much more in the long run if it is caught late and you need radiation, chemo, etc. If caught early it can be surgically removed in a lot of cases without going down the radiation/chemo route.

You have to put your life first, so please do get tested and keep us all posted!

Gina

Good advice has been provided above.

Go see a doctor and/or dentist asap.

There are plenty (incl. my wife) who has suffered from Oral cancer despite being young, fit and have no known risk factors.

As mentioned, see the doctor. It could be something else besides cancer, which is causing the pain, earache, but is not something you want to ignore, even if it's some type of infection.