Mother-of-two removed half of her tongue after ulcer turned out to be tongue cancer

A mother of two had had half of her tongue and part of her neck removed after a persistent mouth ulcer turned out to be cancer.

Karen Liesching-Schroder, from Rochford, Essex, initially thought ‘it was nothing to worry about’ when she developed the ulcer on the right side of her tongue in 2014.

But when the ulcer didn’t go away after 18 months, the 47-year-old went to the hospital where they ran tests to check if it was malignant.

Her biopsy came back negative, and the school nurse claims that she was told “not to worry or return” because it would eventually go away.

A few months later, however, Ms. Liesching-Schroder was forced to make a new appointment when she was left in great pain and unable to eat.

Further tests showed that the ulcer was a symptom of underlying tongue cancer, and doctors had to remove the tumor before it could spread and become deadly.

They also had to cut off a piece of her neck gland as the disease had started to migrate to the tissue behind her throat.

Ms. Liesching-Schroder was shocked by the diagnosis because she has never smoked and rarely drinks alcohol – two risk factors for the disease.

She underwent surgery in March 2016 to remove part of her tongue and neck gland, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy.

When she first spoke publicly about her ordeal, she said, “I was naive and never thought it would be anything ominous because I am healthy and have never smoked before.

“I associated oral cancer in older men who smoke, so I was shocked when the diagnosis was made. Especially after the stomach ulcer 18 months before, it was completely released again.

The doctor said when it comes back – which he did in August 2015 – not to worry or return. But the pain got worse and I couldn’t speak, eat or drink, so I went to the doctor and explained how even soothing gels didn’t get rid of my stomach ulcer. ‘

Ms. Liesching-Schroder added, “I barely looked into my own mouth because I was afraid of what I would see, so when the nurse described it as a hole in my tongue – I was shocked.

“I had another biopsy in February 2016 – I didn’t expect to hear the word ‘cancer’. I was a runner for 10 years, so I didn’t think this would happen to me.

“Running through it was a big part of my journey, giving me a different focus from the cancer.”

While the exact number of patients with tongue complaints is unclear, around 12,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK. And 51,540 new patients are diagnosed annually in the US.

Ms. Liesching-Schroder had the right side of her tongue removed and a piece of her neck gland to prevent the cancer from spreading. She was in remission after six weeks of radiotherapy.

But in November 2016, she was startled again when a large ulcer formed in her mouth.

Doctors assured her it was just thrush – a harmless infection that is easy to treat with antibiotics.

She added, “I share my story so that people think they are out of order because they are healthy and non-smokers because it can happen to anyone.

“I’m very lucky that they contracted the cancer soon enough. I was concerned when I developed several sores under my tongue, which was thrush that came back.

“I had another surgery to remove the sores under my tongue and I had to take morphine for four months.

“There was a chance that my teeth would be removed or my tongue reconstructed. People have many misconceptions about oral cancer because it is not talked about enough. ‘

She added, “I’m having trouble swallowing because radiation therapy has damaged the base of my tongue.

“I have lost confidence because my speech is sometimes unclear, but I had speech therapy last year to help with both swallowing problems and confidence.”