Squamous Cell in the pallet of the mouth

Hi BKenobi and a very warm welcome to our corner of the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

Although I've had skin cancer, I don't have any experience with the type your mum has. However, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet so responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

You might find this information from Macmillan on making treatment decisions helpful in formulating some questions to ask. Your mum might want to ask for a second opinion and this information goes through the advantages and disadvantages of doing that.

Let us know how your mum gets on

Hi latchbrook ,

Thanks very much for your message. I had a conversation with the Specialist Nurse keyworker today and they said they would be happy if we wanted a second opinion. However my Mum says she is happy with the treatment and didn't want to ask for a second opinion as the consultant is the top guy. We have also had an appointment for her first fitting session for the Radiotherapy mask on Thursday which is quite quick. So things are moving forward. I just wanted to make sure we had asked all the questions and done everything we can for my Mum.

Thanks again for your kind message.

Hello to you.  My partner was diagnosed with this three years ago.  He also is on palliative immunotherapy treatment which has been somewhat successful but his cancer is still advancing  it’s such a cruel cancer as they all are but we are reminded daily each time I look at him or he looks In the mirror.  The cancer affects his scalp and involving penetration of the skull where the bone has eroded.   It’s also on his forehead and slowly progressing towards his nose also he’s lost the sight in one eye now due to this wretched disease.   The nurse comes in to change dressings every other day which is very painful for him.   There was no real  prognosis we just struggle on from day to day with palliative care.    I wish you all the best with your mom   Take everything you can get. You need support as well as care.  Xxx 

Hi there, thanks very much for your message and for sharing your experience. It sounds really awful what you have been through. Hearing your experience is  troubling and scary. I'm sorry I don't know what else to say at this point. We are trying to stay positive but it is hard at times.

kind regards x

Gilly P I’ve been trying to see if you have posted about your partner recently . I’ve posted an update on SCC in the Cavernous Sinus subject heading which is negative . We can see the cancer now has progressed into the mouth but obviously my dads started in the Brain not externally . I’m so sorry that your partner is suffering externally too and visually it must be awful . It’s only recently we have noticed the decline in the brain area . It appears that the brain is controlling the prognosis . 

You may want to search for SCC in the Cavernous Sinus under the skin cancer area. It will give you a bit of information on SCC in the brain / skill base. My father who is 81 had no treatment options. It’s not all negativity but may help you. The doctors we saw were brilliant and we have definitely had quality of life since the diagnosis. 

Hi Kk18, 

Thanks very much for your message. 

My mother has had the first course of five doses of Radiotherapy. This appeared to go well but after a week and a half she became quite unwell and spent a week in hospital being treated for infections in the chest and waterworks with anti-biotics. 

She came out of hospital two weeks ago and is improving, she is eating much better (only blended food) and is walking quite well.

We have an appointment with the Oncologist at Castle Hill in Hull next Tuesday. I want to make sure we ask all the right questions to do as much as we can for my Mum. I'm clutching at straws but I'm not sure if they would allow us to seek a second opinion as to whether the cancer is operable? There is also the question of other treatment options if available. I don't think she wants to have any further Radiotherapy even if it were offered. I would also hope to have another scan to see what has happened based on the first batch of Radiotherapy. However the McMillan Specialist Nurse said this would be up to the Oncologist as because my Mum didn't finish all her Radiotherapy course he may decide it's of no benefit to do a further scan. Which seems a bit hard as we need to know how fast and how far the cancer is progressing.

If anyone has any advice or help at this stage that would be gratefully received. My Mum is starting to realise what being on Palliative Care means and we as a family are finding it very difficult. Obviously things could get a lot worse. At the moment there are no outward visible signs of the cancer which is located in her upper pallet. We are caring for my Mum at home and my aunty does most of this and I am covering when she is unavailable.

Many thanks

with kind regards

It’s difficult to give a viewpoint as we chose no treatment which is so hard and so brave in other ways as your gut instincts are to fight . We think that was the best option for him as he has had 7 months of quality life in the garden with no visits to hospitals or side effects of treatments . He has been declining but at a very slow rate . We had a biopsy in January 2026 and due to the effects of the aesthetic it caused a hospital stay which he hated, he had then multiple strokes after the biopsy . We are now only going into the final phase of palliative care . You have to weigh up what’s more important . There was no option for us in reality . We were given option of 5 radiotherapy sessions but the doctors warned that he would likely end up paralysed down one side or couldn’t speak as too near all the vital parts of the brain . He has a primary of SCC in the brain behind the eye, which is extremely rare . We spent ages researching the options but in the end trusted the MDT he was under . Their prognosis has been spot on . You do need to take her lead although it’s hard for everyone and you can guide her,  it’s her decision . If you end up down the palliative route there is lots of help out there . Make sure you engage carers early on , a hospice and talk to Macmillen . They will guide you through results and offer advice . It’s a bit of a shock the whole thing, we felt the same . 

Thanks Kk18 for your detailed and helpful reply.

Kk18.  Good to catch up again I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s  truly awful.    sadly mikes cancer is progressing  it all the way down to the bridge of his nose now and visually very concerning.   The plastics team have said there’s no surgery they can do and the worrying this is that his treatment ends in December as it’s only prescribed for 2 years. After that I’m terrified of what’s going to happen  the nurses are finding his head difficult to dress now because of the progression  I feel sick at the thought of what else is to come.