Hello,

I am returning for some advice. I have been worried about the possibility of oral cancer or pre malignancy since last year. I am a former drinker so I know the risk factor is there. I also just feel like something has not been right.

I had white patches removed from my throat that were diagnosed as chronic inflammation. I have had a few other things since then but they have not shown any significance of which I’m grateful.

I had decided to lay this fear to rest because nothing had ever shown any alerts and told myself that besides the throat stuff nothing stayed around which was good. However I developed a tiny white spot on my right lateral tongue in early January. It has been 8 weeks and this area has spread out to about 4x8 mm in one area and several patchy areas along the lateral line.

I guess I’m just wondering if pre malignant/cancerous processes move this fast? In the larger area it looks raised and exophytic. Also for it to be all at the lateral line some a little above some a little below?

I visited my dentist and although he didn’t see anything ominous he did refer me to an oral surgeon but that’s not until mid March.

Truthfully this has me scared to death. It is mentally challenging and taxing on me and with these white areas I’m just feeling at the end of my rope.

Hi Tammy! As you may have guessed, here at the Oral Cancer Foundation's (OCF) forum, theres not many who have been lucky enough to have had pre-malignant (better known as benign) spot, bump, tumors. I know all to well just how frightening it can be when waiting for appointments and being worried about having a serious, potentially deadly disease. All the extra stress is counter-productive and can make everything seem so much worse than it actually is. The mind has a way of making even the most mellow person start the "what if..." way of thinking. This will only snowball into something that is part of your every waking hour and sometimes people will bring their worry and fears into their dreams (nightmares). Try your very best to remain calm and only allow yourself say 3 minutes when you find yourself "going there" then physically get up and "change the channel". By "change the channel" I mean move to another room or place to do something thats positive and will take your mind of worrying and the "what ifs". This will work and with some practice it gets easier to manage. Almost everyone is able to notice an improvement in their worrying, moods, and stress levels. The mid March appointment is not that long of a wait, some patients end up waiting several weeks even months. Im not trying to downplay what you are going thru as I know how horrible and upset you must be feeling and nobody deserves to go thru that. I always try to see things in a positive light and you really are very, very fortunate to not have been diagnosed with oral cancer (OC).

In the future, any sore, bump, spot, patch etc you have inside your mouth, on your cheeks, tongue, back of throat, or gums that you notice is red or white and its been there for 2 or 3 weeks without resolving itself should be checked by a professional. By professional I mean an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist) who specializes in treating OC patients. That type of ENT should be the most experienced in diagnosing any different areas of your mouth that you are concerned about. They may need to do a biopsy which is actually a good thing. It doesnt mean the doc thinks you have anything serious or cancer, they're just ruling things out and a biopsy will tell them exactly what your spot, sore, bump, patch is. I suggest eliminating anything that could be an irritant to sensitive mouth tissue while you are waiting for your appointment. That includes all forms of tobacco even the e-cig, mouthwash that contains alcohol, very spicy foods, alcoholic beverages, and even some medications that can have side effects of creating mouth sores. You may want to try helping your mouth to heal by rinsing at least 3 times a day with a combo of 1 cup warm water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking soda. This will help get your ph balanced in your mouth which should promote healing of your patches. Some have found success with using manuka honey (at least #12 concentration). With the baking soda rinse swish it around in your mouth for at least a minute and spit it out. Its ok to swallow the manuka honey. Ive heard great things over the years and its been scientifically proven to benefit healing.

Something else I just remembered that might be helpful. A few years ago a friend helped me when she told me something that is so logical I wondered why I hadnt ever thought like that before. Kinda like one of those DUH!!!! moments. I was worried to death when I was facing some serious medical decisions which made sleeping impossible which only made me feel even worse. She told me .... "Worrying has never ever changed a test result or helped anyone. Worrying only makes you upset which makes everything so much harder than it has to be. As of right this minute you have not yet been diagnosed with anything serious so go out and live your life as you normally would and stop living like you have been given a death sentence." . I was quite shocked with her bluntness but once I sat down and really thought about it, she was right with everything she said. I realized my friend cared enough about me to help me thru my rough time by speaking up and being brutally honest with me. It wasnt easy to hear what she said, I felt like I have been given a good swift kick in the butt to snap me out of my funk.

Hang in there!!! Its already March 2 so not too much longer to wait until you can see the doc. Theres likely to be some sort of testing which may also make you wait a bit. Please let us know how you make out. Best wishes!!!