Should I Trust My Ent?

I discovered these yellowish looking spots of tissue on the back of my throat in September of 2007.  IThe very next day, I got a severe sore throat. I went to the walk in clinic in early September and was diagnosed with larangitis. The pain in my throat went away after two weeks, but the yellowish tissue didn't go away after two weeks so I decided to check in with an ENT.

When I got there, there was a resident that checked me out and said I had injected tissue and rhino something in my nose.  I specifically asked him "Can this be cancer", and he said most likely not.  The ENT then checked me out again to confirm the residents opinion. They then both looked down my nose with a long fiber optic scope and the diagnosis was lyphatic tissue.  At that time he stated if it doesn't go away, I should come back for more testing for allergies or viral infection and not to worry.

So, in December of 2007, the tissue that they described has not gone away and maybe has gotten a little worse but hard to tell.  I then went back to the same ENT.  This time he looked at it briefly and stated it is lymphatic tissue again and he stated he wasn't concerned about it and referred me to an allergist.

I am looking for advice on this forum as I am concerned that as a father of 3 at age 30, I have smoked cigarrettes from age 18 to 25 and smoked cigars for about the past 5 years at a rate of maybe 3-4 per year.

Is there anything I can do to persue this further for more testing, or accept what the doctors have told me so far. Should I see another ENT?  Are ENT' accurate without substantive testing, such as a biopsy?  This will be technically the 3rd doctor that has reviewed my symptoms and isn't concerned.  Should I request a biopsy of the tissue or trust my ENT?

I went to 3 ent dr's that all told me the growth on my tonsil was a non-cancer cyst. It still bugged me so I had it removed. It was cancer and now I'm going through radiation. If it's bugging you get a cat-scan or pet-scan.

Rick

I appreciate the responses as I felt I had no where to turn to.  I didn't want to rely on my ENT's opinion alone when there are a couple substantive tests that are much more accurate and definitive.

Based on research the PET scan seems to be a non-invasive procedure and accurate.  I guess the next step is to schedule an appointment with a new ENT to get a fresh opinion.  Can I request a PET scan or do they have to have a level of concern before referring the PET scan out?

I think PET scans are fairly expensive. From your description, I would think a simple biopsy would give you the answer you need, but thats really a question for the next ent you see.

Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

Mike

I wanted to thank all of you for your support.  My wife and family all think I am crazy because the doctors so far think it's nothing, but I have been reading that you have to be dilligent about these things no matter how silly you feel.  Nobody has been able to tell me so far based on a test of what it actually is.

I also had my wisdom teeth removed about 6 weeks ago due to impaction and I would of thought that the oral surgeon would have mentioned something if he saw something odd.

I am hoping for the best, but the only thing that will stop the worry is contacting another ENT tomorrow and requesting some testing. 

Will the new ENT accept a biopsy request if I just come out and tell them that I want to rule out possible throat cancer?

I just read that in 2007, head and neck cancers made up only 2% of all cancers diagnosed in the US. My ENT oncology surgeon has been wonderful during my journey w/SCC and he has proven to be extremely knowledgable. When he advised me of his need to do a modifed dissection, after all TX's (and hopes I would never have to); I consulted another ENT for a 2nd opinion, who concurred absolutely. I do believe in ENT's!!

PS-everyone does know of the website oralcancerfoundation.com--right?