The Swallows Australian Edition Magazine

HPV p16
- Mark McLaughlin
My first hint of a problem came when I had a
persistent sore throat and I noticed a little
difficulty swallowing particularly drier foods like
bread. I didn’t think much of it to start with it
could easily have just been some variety of a
cold. However, I noticed over the next few days
that it wasn’t getting any better – in fact
swallowing was more difficult if anything.
On my first visit to the GP we discussed family
history. My grandfather had oesophageal
cancer so it isn’t really surprising that the
oesophagus was the first suspect. My GP
arranged for gastroscopy a few days later.
During the procedure, the gastroenterologist
noticed a “soft mass” on the base of my
tongue. Nothing else of major interest showed
up further down the digestive system. He
recommended that I get to an Ear Nose and
Throat (ENT) specialist to check out the lump.
My GP managed to get me an appointment the
next day with an ENT specialist. He used a
nasal endoscope and showed me the results
immediately afterwards - the lump he
described as around the same diameter as a
ten cent piece and several millimetres high. He
sent me for a CAT scan nearby and told me to
wait for the results and to return to his rooms.
The CAT scan revealed that the “mass”
extended a little inside my tongue but did not
show much happening with my lymph nodes
(a good thing!) The ENT specialist did discuss
cancer as a possibility with me. He scheduled
me for a biopsy a few days later.
From discovering my first symptoms to
scheduled biopsy was just over a month. A
lesson here is to make sure if you do notice
something unusual do discuss it with your GP.
Even in the best scenario these things take
time.
The biopsy was a week before Easter. A few
days later I was finding it easier to eat as
during the biopsy they took off most of the
lump. The Easter break meant I did not get the
results until nearly two weeks later.
My wife came with me to the next few visits. It
definitely helps to have someone there to
support you when trying to process this sort of
news.
The result of the biopsy was a tongue cancer
caused by HPV p16. The specialist described
having this particular variety as being the best
possible bad news as it responds well to
treatment.
He had already arranged for me to see a
radiation oncologist that same afternoon. The
oncologist suggested a PET scan to check
exactly how large the cancer was as in some
cases surgery is an option.
A phone call that afternoon from the oncologist
confirmed that radiation and some chemo was
going to be the best option. Two days later I
was meeting with the radiation oncologist and
chemotherapy oncologist to start the planning
for my treatment.
One thing I've found hard is telling people
about this. They usually ask the same three
questions: how did you find out, what is the
treatment, and what is the prognosis? People
mean well but is quite draining having to tell
the same story over and over again.
That's why I decided to set up "Mark's Tongue -
in Aspic" on Facebook to record my story.
People can go and look whenever without
feeling like they are intruding.
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