Man, 26, says biting down on tongue 'saved his life' after he mistook cancer for ulcer

Dan Durant, 26, first noticed he had an ulcer on the right side of his tongue in summer last year, but didn't think anything of it, but when he accidentally sneezed and bit his tongue the lump became inflamed, so he went to the doctor

A man has revealed how a bite to his tongue led to a life-saving cancer diagnosis. Dan Durant, 26, initially dismissed an ulcer on his tongue as nothing serious until a sneeze caused him to bite down, inflaming the lump and prompting a visit to the doctor.

The shocking outcome was a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer that required an extensive 11-hour surgery. Surgeons removed half of Dan's tongue and reconstructed it with skin from his forearm, also removing cancerous lymph nodes from his neck.

Dan, a bar supervisor from Stafford, Staffordshire, is now awaiting biopsy results to determine if further treatment is necessary. Recalling the incident, he said: "I sneezed really hard and ended up biting my tongue. It went really inflamed."

He added: "I was directed to Stoke Hospital and told it was cancer and it was aggressive. I had around 50 per cent of my tongue removed and reconstructed. The nurse said 'you were lucky you bit your tongue'."

Despite frequently getting ulcers, Dan didn't suspect anything when he first noticed the lump in August 2023, treating it with Bonjela and ignoring subsequent weight loss and a sore throat.

Dan revealed: "It was a grey, whitish patch. It was the size of a one pence coin. I didn't think of it after that. Mostly it just felt like it wasn't there."

However, Dan began to notice the ulcer again in April 2024 and it became inflamed in August when he accidentally bit down on it. He sought medical advice from his doctor, who suspected it might be cancerous and referred him to Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent.

A week later, on August 21, 2024, Dan's cancer diagnosis was confirmed. He admitted: "I didn't quite believe it could be cancer. Being told it was upsetting. I did have a cry. It was so surreal."

Dan was informed that the cancer was aggressive and immediate surgery was required to remove the tumour. On September 12, 2024, Dan underwent an 11-and-a-half hour operation. Doctors initially planned to partially remove his tongue, but ended up removing 50 per cent when they discovered a second tumour.

Simultaneously, they removed a cancerous lymph node from his neck for a biopsy - to confirm whether the cancer had spread. He explained: "They took skin from my forearm for my tongue and then the skin from my stomach to replace skin on my arm. They also used my the arteries from my forearm and put them into my tongue so there was a blood flow."

After the surgery, Dan spent eight days in hospital to ensure there were no complications following the reconstruction and to help him adjust to eating and drinking again. Currently, he is on a soft food diet and awaiting the results from the biopsy on his lymph node.

Dan explained the overwhelming challenges he's faced: "Learning to swallow properly was quite difficult. I'm just getting used to chewing. My jaw aches a lot. It's a lot of relearning things. If there are little to no cancer cells left it will just be one round of radiotherapy."

He opened up about the impact of his diagnosis, which hit just as he was on the brink of starting a new job and has now left him unable to work. In light of this setback, Dan has taken action not only to raise awareness but also to set up a fundraiser to cover his living expenses in the coming months, pledging to donate any leftover funds to cancer research.

The tremendous support from his family and friends has been a beacon of hope for him. Dan shared his shock at how swiftly life can turn on its head: "Everything is normal and then all of a sudden it is not. It's a life-changing thing."