Does anyone have any experience with tongue/oral cancer?

My grandmother is being evaluated for a cancerous lesion on her tongue. she's 82 years old and she used to smoke, but hasn't for over 20 years. I'm wondering if this could have caused it by having some sort of residual effect? Does anyone know what the outlook is for elderly patients w/ this type of cancer? Any feedback would be appreciated...I'm too anxious to wait for her test results to find out what's going to happen. Thanks.

thanks so much guys. i don't know the results of the biopsy yet so i don't know what kind of cancer it is, but it's on the left side under her tongue, and its gotten to the point where it effects her speech b/c of the size. she never mentioned anything about pain to us until it was unbearable and we took her to the doctor. good luck you and your family.

Mt grandfather had tongue cancer a couple of years ago when he was 80 , I think. He had surgery to remove the tumor, a very difficult and VERY painful surgery. However, they got all of the tumor and he did not have to have radiation or chemotherapy. He did say that if he ever had to do it again he wouldn't because it hurt so bad and he's a tough man (I would leave this part out). I think though that he would do it all over again... he's got 3 great grandchildren now to live for! He too was a smoker and unfortunately still smokes but not nearly in the quantity that he used to. Hope this helps. Good luck to her. My grandparent are my world. My granfather is actually going in tomorrow to have his lymph nodes biopsied and a melanoma (skin cancer) taken off of his back. He's 84 now.

I have Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the minor salivary gland, which looked like a blob on the side of my tongue. It's survivable, but whether it is that or any other kind of oral cancer, the treatment is brutal, and they may elect to do a milder treatment than necessary or none at all because of her age. It is extremely doubtful that a residual effect from smoking had anything to do with it after 20 years.