I have been back to the head and neck clinic, after a referral by my dentist. Now what he said is this.
I have an area of leukoplakia along the scar of my graft and and my tongue. The Docs suggestion is watchful waiting with monthly hospital checks. His opinion at the moment is that the area is not large enough to biopsy yet.
Now after a search I find that leukoplakia is a precancerous condition, (all be it at the low end of the scale) Taking in to account my previous diagnosis, and several surgeries for high grade dysplasia SHOULD I WORRY :rolleyes:
Or can I just call it a nuisance and try to forget it.
Thanks for any advice
Sunshine.. love and hugs
Helen

What you should do Helen is what is right for you and your peace of mind.If that means insisting on more investigations then do it.Do it for you and the natural concerns that every one in your position has.Dont let it develop into an elephant under your bed.

love liz

Helen, in no way would I "forget it". I would in this case put it in the "nuisance" column. I know you have heard this nearly a million times since you first arrived here but, it isn't until they say it is.

For about three years before being told that it was, I listened to my ENT doc use the leukoplakia term in every dictation he did for every single visit I made to his office. At that time I had no idea what the hell leukoplakia was, thus I did not worry about it. Now though as I said above, I would put it in the "nuisance" column and make damn sure that it was followed on a regular basis.

You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Continue being the strong lady we all know you are.

H&K
Bill

Helen,

I am a very agressive advocate for myself and my patient's after being pacified by three surgeons for three years. The fourth did the biopsy and wow, an elephant. I would have been overjoyed had the biopsy came back negative and deemed unnecessary, even after the pain and discomfort and inconvenience of the procedure.
I have stated in other posts that, "...I would much rather see unnecessary biopsies of innocent lesions than no biopsy of a potentially cancerous lesion."
Biopsies are far less expensive than the treatment costs for cancer. If professionals were more prone to biopsy, many mature aggresive cancers would be picked up in the early stages and treated more successfully at a lower cost. Not to mention the netter outcomes for the individual patients.

I say, go with your gut. If your current doc won't biopsy the lesion find one that will. I agree with you 100% especially with your recent medical history.

That's my two cents.

Take care of you!!

Cheers,

Mike

Helen,

I have to echo what Mike is saying. My biopsy was so small that it actually removed the whole tumor. Despite that, I still had an addtional 2cm of tongue removed around the site of the biopsy. Anything you can see is not too small to biopsy.

Jerry

Hi All
The head and neck clinic I attend is part of a large Maxillofacial unit
Dr Mike Our Health system is very different to yours, and just switching Docs is not really an option, HOWEVER none of the Docs are above fetching in a colleague for a second opinion.
I was also advised that if I had any worries to phone in and I would be seen immediately.
So I go back three weeks on Monday, so till then I will keep a close eye on the area, and report back to you all
Thanks for you input.
Sunshine.. love and hugs
Helen

My dentist told me exactly the same same thing last month and it turned out to be thrush. Your ENT or Head & Neck surgeon should have the last word.

Talked to a new Chemo guy today. Anyone know much about "adding" Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Tarreva to the mix. This is in addition to the std. cisplatin.

Thanks.
Bill in NC

Gary,
Not all dentists are created equal. I pesonally view dentists, ENT's, surgeons and oncologists as a team. If everyone knows the play book scenarios like yours should not happen.
There is a simple way to diagnose thrush.
Swab the area, wipe it on a microscope slide, stain the sample (various stains are available), wash the slide and have a look. Fungal hyphae appear stained. If we see this it's a positive diagnosis and then we treat it. I use Nystatin suspension for small localized areas, diflucan for larger areas, and for the stubborn cases ( this may disgust some people) both of the above plus antifungal vaginal suppositories.
Unfortunately most dentists don't have a microscope in their offices, and forget their microbiology, so they refer an otherwise simple procedure and cause a lot of anxiety for patients.

ENT's, great guys!! I personally feel that if I can perform this simple procedure and confirm a diagnosis in less than 20 minutes I should not contribute to their already bogged down schedules. If it's not thrush then I refer the patient.

I'm not trying to step on toes and I know it's not an ideal world. The mouths I treat are brought in by people who deserve the same care that I would expect regardless of my knowledge.

Cheers all,

Mike

BILL'S POST: Talked to a new Chemo guy today. Anyone know much about "adding" Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Tarreva to the mix. This is in addition to the std. cisplatin.

Thanks.
Bill in NC
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Lois