Elaine Sawyer, 54, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, had half of her tongue replaced with a piece of her leg after initially being told she had mouth thrush. She was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in February 2024 after finding an ulcer on her tongue.
Initially, a doctor told Elaine she had thrush of the mouth, but she was unhappy with that opinion and sought a second one. Another doctor referred her to a specialist ward at Queen Victoria Hospital, West Sussex, where she received her diagnosis.
13-Hour Surgery and Recovery
In April 2024, Elaine underwent a 13-hour operation to remove half of her tongue, which was replaced with a section of her leg. Following the surgery, she grew a small amount of hair on her tongue, but this was stopped by the daily radiotherapy she received for six weeks. She also had her lymph glands removed as the cancer had spread into her neck.
Elaine, a former caterer, spent another three weeks in hospital after the operation before beginning radiotherapy. She said: "I was on a food tube for weeks. I had to learn how to walk again as the leg had such a mass taken out of it."
Living With the Aftermath
Elaine said: "My tongue doesn't move as they removed half of it and rebuilt it from my leg. I still have problems eating now. There are certain things I can't eat as it affects your throat - meat is very difficult, salad. I can't have anything spicy and I can't have wine as it's acidic."
She added: "Talking can also be a problem when I'm tired. They took all the lymph glands out in my neck, so it's been pretty horrific."
Initial Symptoms and Diagnosis
Elaine initially noticed she was feeling exhausted, but put it down to chronic fatigue, which she has had since she was 12. When she noticed the ulcer on her tongue, she decided to go to the doctors. She recalled: "I felt very unwell, then I noticed a little ulcer on top of my tongue. It was the tiredness I noticed first and then I couldn't swallow certain foods."
She said: "Firstly, it was misdiagnosed as thrush of the mouth in October 2023, which I knew I didn't have. My sixth sense kicked in and thought I had to get a second opinion in February 2024. She sent me to Queen Victoria Hospital - a top head and neck ward."
Rise in Mouth Cancer Cases
Elaine believes the rise in mouth cancer cases could be down to people not visiting the dentist as frequently. Data released by the NHS in the autumn of 2025 revealed the number of annual mouth cancer cases in England reached 9,293, an increase of 37% in the last decade and more than double the number recorded a generation ago.
Elaine said: "Tongue cancer cases are on the spike in the young. They don't know why. I feel that the youngsters aren't going to the dentist, so it's not being picked up. It looks like a normal ulcer to begin with. I asked my surgeon and they have no idea what's causing the spike." Having never smoked or drunk, Elaine is not sure what caused her diagnosis, but she is now in remission and tries to "keep active" as she continues with her recovery.
