biopsy for reoccurrence - what to consider

wbcgaruss said:

First Thing

We always say on here "it is not cancer till they say it's cancer" so don't figure you have cancer because there are many reasons for mouth sores. Easier to say than do I know very well anything around our head and neck being sore or just not feeling right our mind goes to the thought of cancer again. I had throat cancer around the time you had your cancer in late 2012 and treated starting in 2013. Radiation 35 treatments and chemo. About 2017 I had a sore spot on the left side of the tongue and it was biopsied and determined to be cancer and was removed with clear margins. Then about 1 1/2 years later I had a sore neck left side and was biopsied and determined I had lymph node cancer with a non encapsulated lymph node (spread beyond the node). I was operated on and had the cancer removed and had 30 follow up rads. Then just recently on a routine visit with my ENT he noticed a wort near my left tonsil more less above it and said just to be safe biopsy it. It was biopsied and came back, negative-Thank God. So since my first cancer I have had 2 biopsies in my mouth and one outside the mouth for the lymph node. Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Thanks So much for replying.  Since we had the radiation earlier, our healing is slower in the mouth and throat area. That did not pose any problem after biopsy? And you are right it is not cancer unless it is named so with biopsy But I am having much tougher time emotionaly this time then I had the first time around 10 years ago. 

ProustLover said:

Biopsy after Radiation

Dear Sam999.  My husband had two biopsies since tongue surgery (2016) and more surgery, chemo, and radiation (2018), but also two CO2 laser ablations to deal with new lesions  ("sores") that developed near site of original cancer.  The biopsy for the first sore showed severe dysplasia/cancer in-situ, and the second sore, about a year later, showed lesser dysplasia.  Given my husband's history, the surgeon advised another laser ablation to halt further growth.  The biopsies caused no issues.  The healing from the ablations did take a while in both cases, but his tongue healed and his last CT scan was good.  His tongue actually looks better than it has in a while.  I sincerely hope your sores don't require treatment, but you do need a biopsy.  If my husband's experience is standard, the biopsy won't cause any problems for you.   

Thanks so much. This really helps my anxiety. I will update this post when I have the visit with my oncologist. In your husband's case, did the sore that required biopsy heal at all? In my case sore keeps coming at the same surgery spot from original cancer, but then it heals on its own. What bothers me is that it is always the same spot of original surgery. 

I had met with oncologist two months back on the same issue and he did not want to do biopsy.  But this time I am going to insists they do biopsy and possibly CT scan.

Thanks,

Sam999

wbcgaruss said:

Sam I Would Agree

With your plan going forward. I would think they would be wanting a biopsy especially since it is in the same spot/area. I feel once you have cancer you have to be overly cautious and pro-active so that if there is a recurrence or new cancer it is found and dealt with as soon as possible and as small as possible. Especially the head & neck area because there is so much function in this area that can affect our quality of life. After 5 years out of treatment, I felt pretty comfortable but that's when the tongue cancer occurred. Again prayers your way and wishing you the best-Take care-God Bless-Russ

yes agree. Earlier detection is our best chance. Will update after my appt.