Hi I ve dipped smokeless tobacco for about 5 yrs. I quit about a month ago because I felt a pain in side of my neck. I still feel it, in fact it has just gotten worse. Maybe it got worse because I m paranoid and keep messing with it or it s cancerous. Help me make sense of this, thanks
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. Tobacco can lead to throat cancer and 5 years of exposure is sufficient to produce cancer. And throat pain can be the early symptom of cancer. So better to consult ENT specialist and get done direct laryngoscopy to rule out any mass lesion. If present biopsy should be done. Also get done CT NECK to rule out lymphadenopathy. As throat malignancy can present as lymph nodes only. If all the reports are normal than consult psychiatrist and treat your paranoid behavior. Quit tobacco as soon as possible.