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Hi Moi. 
Sorry to see you here but stay with us. There’s lots of help and experience here. Please leave Google alone, especially this early along your road to recovery. 
Your lymph nodes are doing their job at stopping this cancer in its tracks. Distant metastasis is not common. This type of oropharyngeal cancer is invariable due to HPV and is eminently curable 

If you have already been allocated a specialist nurse they are the ones to contact re any more queries before you see your consultant again. 
Try not to worry too much about spread to both sides. It does happen but not that often. It’s still curable. 
I had  a cancer in the tonsils at the base of my tongue and had to have RT to both sides( but less on one side) and I’m here and well seven years on. 

Oh thank you so much for answering,  so appreciated. The reason I'm afraid is that it's so big . I started going to GP in December this year with symptoms which each time was given antibiotics . In the end I went private and he put camera up my nose and down to throat and bingo . 

As such I am looking at ENT consultant thinking is this spread due to late , or lack of referral.  He said will be six weeks of daily radio therapy with three lots of chemo . I am totally obsessed with distant spread . I guess will know that through CT scan. The MRI was only head and neck i think . 

Again thank you , it's good to get it off my chest and someone actually listen . 

Regards

Moi

Moi said:

He said will be six weeks of daily radio therapy with three lots of chemo . I am totally obsessed with distant spread

That’s gold standard treatment. It’s difficult but doable and as I said distant mets are rare. 
Have a look at this thread. It has lots of helpful tips.

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer-forum/f/diagnosis-and-treatment/287136/helpful-tips-for-those-about-to-start-treatment

 
Then you can come back with more questions. Remember we were all new at this and understand. No question is daft. 

Hi Moi and a warm welcome from me.  A little reassurance first that spread to the lymph nodes is not unusual in head and neck cancer - in fact the lymph nodes are doing what they are supposed to do by catching the cancer cells.  My cancer was initially found through an enlarged lymph.  It may mean that you will also have chemo alongside RT as this seems to be the preferred method of treatment. 

If at ay stage your consultant starts talking about a neck dissection to remove the lymphs please don't panic.  It sound a terrible procedure but in reality it is an easy one to recover from - I have had 2 dissections. In most cases nowadays surgery is a secondary choice to RT and (maybe) chemo.

Things will become easier once you have the biopsy and know what the plan is.

It can be quite tough going through this and into recovery so come and talk to us whenever you need some advice or reassurance.

Hi Peter , Thank you for your informative and soothing message . Yes the ENT consultant said six weeks RT and three lots of chemo . 

I'm not afraid of surgery but I am of distant spreading . But I have had some fabulous responses on here that have helped . 

I guess I just have to wait and carry on as normal as possible.  

Regards

Moira

Hi and welcome ,looking at your answer to Beesuit i had a similar experience in as far as my Lymph gland on my left side was enlarged discovered in March 2025 it was put down to a chest infection but after anti biotics did not go down in May 2025 i had an ear infection again the lymph gland was put down to this .By September 2025 i had several infections my doctor sent me to the ENT consultant and a tumour was found at the base of my tongue a biopsy was done and in October i received my diagnosis and it was SCC .So i went almost 8 months until my cancer was discovered scans revealed it had not spread outside of the area but was in both Lymph glands .So try not to worry about distant spread .By December 2cnd everything was in place including a feeding tube and i started treatment 6 weeks of RT and 6 sessions of chemo .Iam now 12 weeks in recovery and feel fine with just a couple of niggles still wating for  scans but i am confident that the treatment has worked . Keep us updated and dont be afraid to seek advice . Good Luck .

Hi Moi They  usually do both sides of neck I had 7 lymph nodes with soft palate spread as well as anterior wall of tonsil right tonsil had 75% of radiotherapy and left dude 25% to mop uk any stray cells I’m fast approaching 8 years since the fateful day 14

may 2028 when I was out on cancer is they. Time wise don’t stress with hindsight mine was there in February 2018 and if I really think gs I possibly November 2017!  We were cycling in southern Spain and i thought I had pulled my heck. I had 2 of 3 planned chemo rarely we get all the doses. Radiotherapy is the main course of treatment. 
any questions just ask. Yes I’m still cycling just done 40 km in Spain today 

Ince treatment starts our minds seem to setttke into it. Hugs Hazel 

Hi I contacted nurse specialist who read the report from MRI which stated multiple spread to nodes on one side ,the side of the tonsil cancer . 

Good luck on your journey , everyone here is great and knows what you are going through so you are not alone! we have all been through the same or similar things and someone is bound to be able to assist if you have any questions

Helen 

Hi , They have told me it's spread to multiple nodes on same side as tumour x