Tonsil Cancer

A healthcare provider will do a physical examination, focusing on your throat and tonsils. They may do a throat culture to rule out infections as a possible cause. They’ll look for changes in your tonsils like sores that could be cancer.

If they suspect tonsil cancer, they’ll refer you to an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat specialist or ENT). This is a healthcare provider who specializes in conditions that affect your ear, nose and throat. They may order tests, including biopsies and imaging tests.

Biopsy

Your provider may do a biopsy to obtain cells and tissue. A medical pathologist will examine the cells and tissue for signs of tonsil cancer. Possible types of biopsy are:

• Incisional biopsy: This test involves surgery to obtain a sample of tonsil tissue.
• Fine-needle aspiration (FNA): If you have a suspicious lump on your neck, they may do a fine needle aspiration to obtain cells.

Imaging tests

If biopsy results show signs of tonsil cancer, your oncologist may order imaging tests to see if the cancer is spreading to other areas of your body. Tests may include:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

Tonsil cancer staging

Your provider will use test results to set the tonsil cancer stage. Healthcare providers use cancer staging systems to develop treatment plans. They base tonsil cancer stages on factors like the tumor location and size, whether cancerous cells are in nearby lymph nodes and if the tumor in your tonsils is spreading to another part of your body.

For example, an early-stage tonsil cancer is one that’s only on your tonsils. Advanced or late-stage tonsil cancer means there’s tonsil cancer in lymph nodes and other areas of your body.