Man, 32, found mouth cancer after tonsillitis: ‘I want to get as much as I can from life, because I could’ve died at 30’

A 32-year-old man has stressed the importance of listening to your intuition after an uneasy feeling about recurring tonsillitis led to the discovery of a tumour hidden under his tongue.

Pawel Chmura, who works as a front of house co-ordinator for a marketing agency in London, started investigating his tonsillitis at the end of 2023.

“It all started from something entirely different. The year before I was diagnosed with mouth cancer, I was having issues with my tonsils,” Pawel told PA Real Life.

“Every time I came back from holiday I was suffering from tonsillitis, and there are only so many times you can take antibiotics before you start asking questions.”

After tests and swabs at the GP came back with nothing, Pawel continued to push for answers and utilised his Bupa health insurance with work to see specialists. He was eventually referred to an infectious disease expert at the beginning of 2024 who identified something suspicious on an MRI scan.

“When I had a call to discuss the results, the specialist said, ‘your tonsils are fine, but we found something on the image which I think you need to speak with someone else about’,” recollected Pawel.

“I was referred to have an ultrasound and a fine needle biopsy, but because of the location of the lump, which was under the tongue and fairly close to the jaw, they couldn’t do the biopsy. I was getting quite nervous at this stage.

“Afterwards, I found a surgeon who specialised in mouth issues on Bupa’s website and called them and they decided to remove the lump and send it for a biopsy.

“I was invited to a follow-up appointment two weeks later and me being very, very optimistic as always, I thought it would be fine. But when I walked in saw the doctor and nurse, I felt like something was off straight away. We sat down and they said listen, unfortunately it’s a cancer.”

According to a report by the Oral Health Foundation, mouth cancer is one of the UK’s fastest-growing cancers, with cases up 38% in the past decade.

Once Pawel’s mouth cancer diagnosis was officially confirmed, the stoic front of house co-ordinator said he felt reassured as there was a clear action plan for him.

His main concern was how to share this devastating news with his parents.

“The only thing I focused on was how to tell my parents and how to organise them to fly over here from Poland,” said Pawel. “Obviously, you never want to hear over the phone that your only son has cancer. They were pretty devastated, but I reassured them that I had the best care possible and that we just needed to hope for the best.”

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Raf Niziol was the lead consultant throughout Pawel’s cancer journey, and the surgery involved removing the floor of the mouth, a neck resection, and a forearm tissue transplant. A tracheostomy was also performed to manage post-op swelling.

Pawel described the days following the surgery as a “blur”.

“It’s very weird going back to the time when I was in ICU, because I was on so many painkillers that everything feels like a blur,” said Pawel, who had the surgery at Cromwell Hospital in April 2024. “But, at the same time, there are specific moments which I feel like I remember very well.

“For example, the first night after the surgery, I was having trouble sleeping. As the anaesthesia was wearing off, I had these awful dreams and kept waking myself up.

“Laying there and hearing the beep, beep, beep in the hospital wasn’t really nice, so I played the radio on the TV, as music is the thing which usually grounds me.”

Although Pawel returned to work three months after the surgery, he admitted that the fear of the cancer returning still lingers.

“The type of cancer means that I need to have yearly test scans and in this particular case, there is quite a high chance of recurrence in the lungs,” said Pawel. “So, although the thought of that is not the centre of my mind, it’s always there.”

He also had to relearn how to use his tongue following the major operation.

“My tongue doesn’t feel as flexible as it once was and I can no longer stick it out,” said Pawel.

According to Neil Sikka, director of dentistry at Bupa Dental Care, dental professionals can play a vital role in identifying abnormalities in the mouth – including potential signs of cancer.

“During routine check-ups, we perform a cancer screening examination and are well-placed to spot early signs of mouth cancer and refer patients for further investigation when needed,” he said.

After the unexpected turbulence of 2024, Pawel said his mindset has dramatically shifted, and he has been on a quest to live life to the fullest.

“I’ve named 2025 as the year of making dreams come true,” said Pawel. “I have put in a lot of effort to enjoy this year, and I think that’s my new life motto, to kind of do whatever I want.

“I want to try and get as much out of life as I can, because I could have possibly been dead at 30 if the surgery went wrong.

“I have travelled a lot, I’ve seen Lady Gaga in Barcelona and ate a lot of nice food. So yeah, it was quite a busy year for me.”

He wanted to share his story to encourage others to keep pushing for answers if they feel like something is wrong with their health.

“If there is a worry about anything, just go and have it checked, because if I didn’t push, god knows when we would have found it,” said Pawel.