NetWellness Head and Neck Cancer

Bump on Back of Neck

Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:12:00 EST

Question: I have this bump on back of neck. It`s at the base of the neck, about a 1/2 inch away from the spine on left side. It`s been there for a few years now and never really hurt, but this past week it is really tender around the area and hurts. I was told by one doctor it was a lipoma . . .

Answer: You indicated that this mass has been present for "years." With the change in symptoms, in this case the development of pain, it should be re-evaluated by your care provider. I agree that the diagnosis is most likely a lipoma but there are other possibilities. It could also be a sebaceous cyst (bloc . . .

Ask an Expert: Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Head and Neck Cancer

Lost Sense of Taste & 9 mm Nodule

Yash Patil MD — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:10:00 EST

Question: I have lost my sense of taste 2 months ago. All other medical & medication factors have been ruled out. Some difficulty swallowing at times & my salivary gland under R side of tongue seems larger than other. I have been to my IM & ENT. Found 9 mm nodule in parotid gland by MRI. ENT doesn . . .

Answer: It is very unlikely that the parotid nodule has caused loss of smell. This may be followed with serial imaging. Work up for loss of smell should include ruling out infection, allergy, trauma, tumors etc. Your ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) should be able to help you with this.

Ask an Expert: Yash Patil MD, Head and Neck Cancer

Scar tissue inside mouth from radiation

Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:08:00 EST

Question: This question concerns my father-in-law (age 75) who had cancerous tumor removed from maxillary gland on right side of face as well as part of his palette and several teeth (Apr, 2010) He had intense radiation treatments to insure cancer was gone.(Apr-June, 2010) However, the radiation has left him . . .

Answer: This is a difficult but unfortunately common problem following treatment of oral cavity tumors. What happens is that often surgery and also the postoperative irradiation will damage the muscles and tissues that allow the jaws to move apart from another. Everything scars down and it is difficult to o . . .

Ask an Expert: Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Head and Neck Cancer

Closed esophagus due to radiation treatment

Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:07:00 EST

Question: I had stage throat cancer in 2009 and the radiation treatment left my esophagus with a lot of scar tissue which closed off the esophagus (I am presently cancer free). I can not swallow my salvia or any other nourishment. I am feeding my self through a PEG tube at the present time but would like to e . . .

Answer: The first option to take care of this issue is esophageal dilation. Most often it is required once but occasionally may need to be repeated. This works 95% of the time. However, if that is not successful the options we have are the following: you stay the way you are and remain fed through the PEG t . . .

Ask an Expert: Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN, Head and Neck Cancer

Tongue Bump and enlarged area on collarbone

Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:05:00 EST

Question: About 2 months ago I suddenly developed a bump on the right middle side of my tongue. It was irritable for a day or two then never went away. It is 1/4 in. and raised but no color change. A recent enlargement of my colorbone on the right side next to the sternum concerns me. It feels like 1-1 1/2 in . . .

Answer: Any lump or bump that is present for 2 weeks or more should be evaluated by a medical professional. Although likely to be benign your tongue lesion needs to be evaluated. The collarbone mass is unlikely related to the tongue issue. It seems to be an inflammation of the sterno-clavicular joint. Havin . . .

Ask an Expert: Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN, Head and Neck Cancer

Headaches, Ringing in Ears, Tingling

Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 20:12:00 EST

Question:

I`m having headaches, ringing in ears, tingling numing feeling on left side of face, slight sore tooth when face feels the numbing feelings, then it just goes away. Also my legs sometimes feel like ther no circulation or blood flowing when I sit down, like a knot in my leg cuting off blood circul . . .

Answer: In order to have your diverse medical questions answered, you need to start with a generalist (i.e. Internal Medicine doctor) to help sort out things. Otherwise based on the symptoms you would likely need to see multiple specialists (i.e. ENT, vascular, neuology, dental just for starters) . . .

Ask an Expert: Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN, Head and Neck Cancer

Painfull Swollen Lymph Nodes

Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 19:12:00 EST

Question: Two weeks ago both my lymph nodes below my ears on my jaw line became swollen/pink and painfull, my left side is now very enlarged and hard (it`s like half a gumball and can be seen in the mirror), the other side is less painfull/swollen/pink, a few days ago a lymph node on the base of my neck (belo . . .

Answer:

Pierre Lavertu, MD

You definitely need to see a doctor. Any swelling in your neck present for more than 2 weeks should be evaluated. There are a lot of possibilities for the presence of this swelling including infection and tumors. Obviously your lack of medical coverage . . .

Ask an Expert: Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Head and Neck Cancer

HPV and Oral Cancer

Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 09:09:00 EST

Question: Once infected with a high risk HPV, how long does it take to develop into oral cancer or pre-cancerous lesions? They say it can take many years to develop cervical cancer from a high risk HPV such as HPV 16. Is it the same for the oral cavity including the throat?

Answer: This is a good question. It is important to know that the incidence of infection in males and females above 50 years of age is approximately 50% and 30% respectively. With this in mind it becomes obvious that only a minority of infected individuals will get cancer from that infection. The amount of . . .

Ask an Expert: Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Head and Neck Cancer

HPV

Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:07:00 EST

Question: I had stage IVa, poorly diferentiated, squamous cell carcinoma. Treatment was a Right Radical neck dissection followed by radiation with chemo. As anyone who has had this treatment knows, it`s tough. I have never smoked and rarely drank. I am 59 years old and have been married 38 years. We recently . . .

Answer:

HPV may be a contributing factor to the cancer you developed. The original biopsies may or may not have been tested for it's presence. Much research is still ongoing about HPV and it's role in head and neck cancer. What early research is indicating is tumors that are HPV positive, those patients . . .

Ask an Expert: Cheryl Koliha-Brandt MSN, RN, CNS, CORLN, Head and Neck Cancer

Black Area Near the Vocal Cords

Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:05:00 EST

Question: I couldn`t breath in January was in the ER twice...all they could say is my soft tissue in my throat had swollen. Went to family doctor he couldn`t find anything. After 3 month my voice was still hoarse...like an up and down with my voice. So went back to my doctor to get refered to an ENT. Found ou . . .

Answer:

Causes for voice issues are not always obvious. You list a few probable cause for your voice issues: hypothyroidism which should be easy to correct, and gastroesophageal reflux disease which is not always easy to diagnose and sometimes frustrating to treat.

In addition you describe a gre . . .

Ask an Expert: Pierre Lavertu MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Head and Neck Cancer