Soft Palate Cancer

Diagnosis

With early diagnosis of soft palate cancer, treatment is often successful. Your doctor will ask you about your medical history and give you a physical exam, including an examination of your soft palate using a mirror or fiber-optic instrument. Your doctor may take a sample of tissue (biopsy) if it appears abnormal so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope.

Imaging tests

X-rays and other imaging tests help to identify soft palate cancer and to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the surface of the soft palate. In tests that involve radiation, specialists carefully monitor doses to avoid the risk of radiation overexposure. Your doctor will decide which of the imaging tests below are most appropriate for you.

• Computerized tomography (CT). CT scans use thin X-ray beams to create images of internal organs in 2-D views.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create images that can be viewed from any direction to determine the extent of the cancer and whether the lymph nodes are involved.
• Ultrasound. An ultrasound combines high-frequency sound waves and computer processing to provide information about the shape and texture of the tumor.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scans. PET scans use 3-D images to identify actively growing tissues such as cancer in the soft palate.

Read more about the CT scan, MRI, ultrasound and PET scan.