Hi Elmo,

Sorry to hear of your condition.
 

Bearing in mind that this is a CancerChat forum, most of the people who would reply are people who are suffering from/have suffered from cancer.

99% of the people whose cases turn out to be false alarms, the people who could tell you happy stories of relief and reassurance, disappear over the horizon never to be seen again the moment they get the good news! And that being the case, most of us who are still here who experienced a swollen tonsil went on to be diagnosed with cancer, so unfortunately we can't give you the reassurance you want.

Your GP's words are what you should draw your reassurance from. He/She is a medically trained professional and has physically examined you. Heed their words. It is great that you spotted the enlarged tonsil so early and are having it examined by an ENT expert shortly.

In the unlikely event that it were something sinister, the fact that you have brought it to the attention of an ENT consultant so quickly would make it so much easier to treat. Many people don't present symptoms until much later, when they have a lump in the neck or can no longer swallow easily.

I personally spotted a swollen tonsil in its early stages because it had an infection and was covered in white lumps. It alerted us to cancer, which we caught at Stage 1. Nine months later, I developed a neck abscess on the other side which alerted the doctors to a stage 1 tumour in the other tonsil. Both were treated by way of an operation, and being 3.75 years post operation 2, the danger of recurrence has receded significantly.

If you were going to have to suffer from one form of cancer in your life, an early diagnosed, HPV related, tonsil cancer wouldn't be the worst to suffer. It's one of the most treatable.

Please note my symptoms differed from yours in that my swollen tonsil had become infected due to the presence of the tumour. Yours is nothing like that.

Wishing you all the best,

Tim