Can a barium swallow be used for cancer diagnosis? I had a lesion (carcinoma in situ) removed from my lateral tongue this past summer. I had a CT scan and my ENT said that the lymph nodes were in the normal range between 1 and 1.5 and he did not recommend doing any further investigation (he said that a CT would be just as good as an MRI).

I am a 30 year old female (non-smoker, non-drinker). Any info is appreciated.

The only difinitive test for cancer is biopsy. A barium swallow will show contours, defects, etc. but not be a positive test for cancer. The cautious thing to do at this stage would be to set yourself up on a monitoring program at 3 and 6 month intervals. You have had a surgical only solution to a problem. There is always the possiblity that a micro metastasis, too small to be detected in an MRI or CT may be out there. I would watch things, ( not fearfully, but prudently) for the next few years.

Thanks for your reply Brian. What I meant to ask was is there any diagnostic value of a barium swallow test in terms of telling you about possible lymph node involvement or other spread of the disease. My ENT had orginally suggested a barium swallow test but did not give me one. I'm not sure if he had intended to give it to me for cancer-related reasons or to check for acid reflux.

I don't see how a barium swallow study would give them any information about node involvement. What it will show are structure related abnormalities, but what they are exactly... the test won't tell. It may for instance show that there is narrow area, but why that is narrow, (a tumor, tramatic inflamation etc.) it can not determine.