Welcome to Cancer Chat, Amanda55.

I'm sorry to read that you discovered a lump in your throat and are, understandably concerned, but it's positive that you've taken steps to have it checked by your GP. The term "abnormal cells" in the letter from your consultant suggests further investigation is needed, but it doesn't necessarily mean cancer.

Attend the appointment with your consultant to discuss your options and ask any questions you have and try to avoid excessive Google searches for reassurance if you can and focus on taking care of yourself. Your medical team is there to support you through this process.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Renata, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi. I don't know for sure if it means you have cancer or just that cancer is a possibility and you need more investigation, but I had thyroid cancer four years ago so just wanted to comment to reassure you that firstly, a month is usually nothing with thyroid cancer. When I was diagnosed, the doctor was like, "it's not going to do anything in the immediate future, but we'll try and schedule an operation in the next month or two, because psychologically, it's probably better to get it over with sooner". And I don't know how long it was there for. Looking back, I can definitely see the nodule on photos from 4 years before my operation.

And while obviously nobody wants any form of cancer, it...well, isn't quite what one imagines when one hears the word cancer. They rarely use chemotherapy or radiotherapy or any ongoing treatments and for under 50s, the survival rate is close to 100%. It's a bit higher for older people, but still up somewhere like the 90s.

Hopefully, none of this will be relevant to you and you will get good news, but even the worst is manageable.

Thank you for your reassuring words I’m feeling better about things and just trying to wait patiently I know the odds are in my favour.