Hi all,
I've been diagnosed with tongue cancer and I'm waiting to see if it has spread. Have had CT scan and MRI scan.
Had a biopsy where they took a scrape of the lesion. 1 week after the biopsy I took a look at the lesion and it was there, still the same, oval shaped, tongue tissue eroded into a little red crater and with white edges.
Then a week later I looked and it had shrunk (but same description as above).
But now the lesion has gone!
No red oval crater, no white, just gone!
Haven't had any of the 10 possible symptoms either.
So it has put me into denial mode.
Can a cancerous lesion disappear 2 weeks after a biopsy?
I stress the lesion wasn't cut out during biopsy.. just a tiny mm sample and the lesion looked just the same after the biopsy.
How are you, and have you been recently diagnosed? I hope you are gonna be fine. Have you had help and found the answers to your questions?
Yes I sent a message to a Macmillan Nurse but was told that it depends if the lesion
was small and the biopsy may have cut it all out.
But it wasn't cut out, the lesion was exactly the same 1 week after the biopsy.
2 days after the biopsy I got a call from the Maxillo ward to come in straight away and to bring someone with me. There were 3 Doctors a Surgeon and a Student in the room and they gave me the bad news...Oral cancer squamous cell HPV. I stress this was 2 days AFTER the biopsy. And the Surgeon examined the lesion and another Dr felt the lesion and another Dr felt my chin and neck.
I've since had teeth x-ray, MRI and CT scans and have an appointment to be told if it has spread elsewhere.
I've searched everywhere and cannot find any text that says a cancerous lesion can disappear.
So this means it happens to everyone, or that it can't and doesn't happen.
Thanks for your reply, I get you feeling bemused wondering what's going on. It hasn't sunk in for me yet, I'm just going along with what they're asking me to do. Sounds like they'll sorting it all out quickly for you which is good but doesn't always give you time to process what's happening.
I had a 2 week wait to find out if the cancer had spread and it hadn't- hope that's the same result for you.
I was diagnosed last April with rhabdomyosarcoma, rare for an adult to get this type and am having surgery next week.
The body's incredible at healing itself, wishing you good news and being cancer free.
Thanks for replying, there was no notification sent.
What type of cancer has the Consultant said you've got?
I hope it is something minor and that you'll be okay. Maybe I can help depending on your situation.
My cancer was supposedly 'SSC of oral area of tongue' (HPV-related), and it's now 14 months since the biopsy & surgery to remove one third of my tongue. I was sent to surgery also to have a bigger operation for neck dissection and then probable radiation & chemotherapy but the last minute change of plan & the new Surgeon decided not to do the neck dissection (in agreement together), as the lesion had now disappeared since the time of the biopsy.
Luckily I can now speak well and have no restrictions with eating.
So very good outcomes can happen to anyone.
Although I am still very confused of why the new pathologist (after the operation) has told that there was NO cancer found in the resected tissue and that I indeed do NOT have the HPV either!
I''d been told by the previous Consultant that it was HPV-cancer and his Advanced Nurse told me (privately) that "this type of SCC/HPV cancer has most likely gone straight to your lungs", adding that he's "seen this all before".
Over the past 12 months my new Consultant has sent me for 2 ultra-sound scans to the neck and they've been clear.
The last scan was Feb 2022 and the Consultant told me that it was going to be my LAST scan.
I then heard nothing from anyone for the next 4 months and was basically thrown off their systems. My sister told me the NHS always follow-up for 5 years! So I phoned the hospital last week to ask about this and they couldn't find me on their systems.
I then got a call from the hospital telling me that "the Consultant would NOT have told me the Feb scan would be the last one".
But he DID say this!
I've now been booked a ultrasound scan but if I'd not bothered to phone up then I wouldn't have heard from the hospital ever again.
It was exactly a year ago that I had the end of my tongue removed (I had a rare sub-type of rhabdomyosarcoma) but like you I have no trouble talking or eating I'm having chest xrays every 6 months now but had to text my cancer nurse as they kept postponing the appointment.
Thanks for the advice, it sounds very confusing for you which is really stressful. I'm glad you have the ultrascan booked.
