WHEN Elaine Sawyer became constantly exhausted and battled flu symptoms, she blamed it on her chronic fatigue.

But after noticing an ulcer on her tongue and suddenly struggled to swallow certain foods, alarm bells started to ring.

Elaine Sawyer, a woman with long blonde hair, smiles while holding a gold phone up to take a selfie.Elaine Sawyer, 54 was initially misdiagnosed with mouth thrush Credit: SWNS A close-up of Elaine Sawyer's neck after surgery, showing a vertical incision with surgical staples near her ear.The first signs of her condition included exhaustion, flu-like symptoms and a mouth ulcer Credit: SWNS

The 54-year-old visited her who told her it was mouth thrush.

But unhappy with her diagnosis, Elaine, who lives in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, decided to get a second .

Another doctor referred her a specialist ward at Queen Victoria Hospital where the true devastating cause of her symptoms was confirmed.

She had squamous cell carcinoma, the most that strikes thousands of Brits every year – and is rising.

In April 2024, two months after her diagnosis, Elaine underwent a 13 hour surgery to remove half of her tongue which was reconstructed with a section of her leg.

Following the operation, Elaine grew a small amount of on her tongue but this was stopped by the daily “brutal” radiotherapy she had for six weeks.

Now, in remission, as she continues with her recovery, she is warning people not to dismiss any of tongue cancer.

Recalling her horrifying ordeal, Elaine, a former caterer, said: “My tongue now 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 as it’s acidic.

“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.”

Speaking about her initial diagnosis, she added: “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.

Elaine Sawyer, 54, smiling while holding onto a white medical device, after receiving treatment for tongue cancer.Elaine was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of tongue cancer Credit: SWNS Elaine Sawyer's leg after surgery for tongue cancer, showing stitches on her thigh where skin was removed.Elaine underwent surgery to remove half of her tongue which was reconstructed with a section of her leg Credit: SWNS

“I had flu-like symptoms as well.

“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.

“They didn’t like the look of it and said they’d need to send me down the cancer path and I thought ‘what the hell?’

“He could tell it was cancer as it had grown and split – it was also the fact I couldn’t swallow certain foods.”

Elaine spent another three weeks in hospital after her operation before undergoing 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.

“I was given a whiteboard after the op to communicate, which I tried not to use too much as I wanted to get my mouth moving.

“But it was very difficult as my tongue had swollen three times the size.

“I grew some hair on my tongue as it was from my leg but the radiotherapy zapped that.”

Elaine also had her lymph glands removed as the cancer had spread into her neck.

“The cancer in my neck was contained within the lymph glands so I only needed radiotherapy,” she said.

“But it was six weeks of daily radiotherapy – it was pretty brutal.

“They put a cage mask on you with a gumshield to keep the tongue still – it’s like something from a horror movie.”

A patient undergoing radiotherapy treatment for tongue cancer.Pictured, Elaine during radiotherapy treatment Credit: SWNS Elaine Sawyer smiling in sunglasses, wearing a denim top.Elaine believes the rise in mouth cancer cases could be down to people not visiting the dentist as frequently Credit: SWNS

Having never smoked or drank, Elaine isn’t sure what caused her diagnosis but she is now on the mend and tries to “keep active.”

Rates of mouth cancers – including those of the tongue – have in the UK over the past decade, with more than 9,000 people now diagnosed every year.

More than half of cases occur on the tongue or tonsils.

More than 90 per cent of mouth cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

While survival is good if caught early – more than eight in ten patients live at least five years – outcomes fall sharply once the disease begins to spread.

Typical warning signs include an ulcer or sore that doesn’t heal within three weeks, red or white patches on the tongue, persistent pain, earache or jaw stiffness.

and heavy drinking remain the biggest risk factors, and the combination multiplies the danger.

But doctors stress that the disease is increasingly seen with no obvious risks – making vigilance especially important.

Elaine believes the rise in mouth cancer cases could be down to people not visiting the dentist as frequently.

She 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.”