brand new, so scared/tongue-underarm nodes connection?

danaj20,

Welcome to the H&N forum, sorry for your new found stressor.

I haven’t heard of anyone on here who had lumps under their arms as their first indicator of cancer in the H&N area.  Matter-of-fact, you haven’t been diagnosed and I hope you do not have H&N cancer.

Not very many do the waiting game well, you just have to go through it and hope for the best.

Good luck.

Matt

danaj20 said:

Thanks for the support, guys.

Thanks for the support, guys.

Tonita, what 'stage' was it at, particularly since lymph nodes were involved? Were the lymph nodes in the armpit, or elsewhere? Are you still getting treatment, (just surgery?) and did it go beyond the lymph nodes?

 

I got lucky and was able to get an appointment for tomorrow regarding my tongue, not the mammogram, though. Helps that it's moving along....

After all was said and done, I was Stage I.  Took a while during the surgery to get clean margins.  I think they took the lymph nodes to make sure there was no involvement.  They took them from my neck.

I required no other treatment for which I am extremely grateful. 

I'm convinced that I caught this early because I was a smoker.  I've since quit after 50 years of hard-core chain smoking.

Just stay calm and deal with each thing as it comes.  Don't get ahead of yourself.  Good luck and stay in touch.

danaj20 said:

Hi,

Hi,

Couldn't add a new forum topic (website error), so continuing o my original thread. My question in a nutshell: is there a difference between an ENT and an oral surgeon in diagnosing a tongue lesion for potential cancer?

Had my ENT appointment, was great, I think. He, along with his assistant, didn't 'see' anything (not a lesion), and therefore will not biopsy. They did a tube test up my nose to look at everything, all clean, they assure me. My new dentist who found it, however, keeps giving me referrals, insisting I need to see an oral surgeon, not an ENT. It is true, the 'lesion' is the same color as my regular tongue, if it is a lesion at all; the Velascope at my dentist lit up a small pea size round thing with the red light. The ENT says this is not anything because I have no visible tongue lesion. He can physically feel the round pea mass with his fingers, but says this is likely a previous trauma healing over.

I probably will do a second opinion and may decide on a biopsy, but must I see an oral surgeon? If so, why, and why is my dentist so insistent I must go that route because an ENT is not good enough??? I actually asked if there was a reason shls was so insistent on having me go to her referrals. It is strange. The ENT doctor said ENT's are comparable to oral surgeons for diagnosing potential tongue cancer. Is this correct?

Thanks, any help will be appreciated! I feel like I'm going crazy trying to figure out such a small consideration, and it's blocking any path forward.

 

I would see an oral surgeon just to make sure. My husband, who had tongue cancer, first went to a local ENT. That doctor thought it was nothing to be concerned about. But when nothing changed, he called his dentist, who took a look and told my husband to see an oral surgeon, who recommended a biopsy. If you are concerned about cancer, either see an ENT who specializes in head and neck cancer or go to an oral surgeon for them to take a look. A ENT who doesn't specialize in H&N cancers really isn't the best doctor to see in my opinion. Best of luck.

danaj20 said:

Hi,

Hi,

Couldn't add a new forum topic (website error), so continuing o my original thread. My question in a nutshell: is there a difference between an ENT and an oral surgeon in diagnosing a tongue lesion for potential cancer?

Had my ENT appointment, was great, I think. He, along with his assistant, didn't 'see' anything (not a lesion), and therefore will not biopsy. They did a tube test up my nose to look at everything, all clean, they assure me. My new dentist who found it, however, keeps giving me referrals, insisting I need to see an oral surgeon, not an ENT. It is true, the 'lesion' is the same color as my regular tongue, if it is a lesion at all; the Velascope at my dentist lit up a small pea size round thing with the red light. The ENT says this is not anything because I have no visible tongue lesion. He can physically feel the round pea mass with his fingers, but says this is likely a previous trauma healing over.

I probably will do a second opinion and may decide on a biopsy, but must I see an oral surgeon? If so, why, and why is my dentist so insistent I must go that route because an ENT is not good enough??? I actually asked if there was a reason shls was so insistent on having me go to her referrals. It is strange. The ENT doctor said ENT's are comparable to oral surgeons for diagnosing potential tongue cancer. Is this correct?

Thanks, any help will be appreciated! I feel like I'm going crazy trying to figure out such a small consideration, and it's blocking any path forward.

 

My first ENT didn't even bother to scope me. He didn't even want to do a needle biopsy. He simply wanted to do a neck dissection and remove my nodes in my neck and check for cancer. I disagreed with this approach.

I went to a second ENT and he immediately scoped me. He saw an area he was suspicious but noted there was no discoloration and only very minor inflammation (if any at all). However, he thought there were more blood vessels in that area than normal. He decided he couldn't be for certain that was the tumor on the base of my tongue. So, he did a needle biopsy of my enlarged neck node. When it came back positive for SCC he sent me to the local cancer center. There, the oncologist looked and also agreed that though there was very little visual indication the tumor was at the base of my tongue, she agreed with my ENT that that was most likely the tumor. She biopsied it and confirmed it indeed was the primary tumor.

Just know, doctors are not all knowing and you must be your own advocate. Don't be afraid to get several opinions.

I saw a Head & Neck ENT that did finally diagnosised My Cancer after 2-3 yrs of Drs blowing it off since I was a smoker also.   Never had an oral Surgeaon since the ENT had expererience in Cancer so I trusted him.  No surgery for Me just Chemo & Rads since mine was in a difficult location to reach to remove.  7 wks of pure hell, with a ton of side effects later, one which I just posted a new discussion about.....Sodium Drops.   Just released from the hospital with one that caused a stroke, thankfully NO after effects.  Very lucky.  Just very weak &tired.   See someone who is educated in