Many of us have already had a problem with canker sores – small but very painful ulcers in the mouth that can form on the gums, lips or tongue. Although most of them will heal on their own within a few days, in Scotland Margot Blair (62) signaled one of the first symptoms of an insidious disease. , a serious health condition made her life extremely uncomfortable.
- Scot Margot Blair has been diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer.
- She noticed the first symptoms in 2022, but initially ignored them.
- The diagnosis was confirmed only after swelling of the tongue and severe pain.
- She underwent several operations and radiotherapy.
- Despite the treatment, her condition still did not improve.
Margot from the Scottish city of Dumfries noticed the first problems with canker sores in 2022. Although she didn’t pay much attention to them at first, she couldn’t get rid of them, even though she didn’t smoke, rarely drank alcohol, and exercised regularly. “I thought that other people were suffering from a similar problem,” she said.
However, in May 2025, the symptoms worsened. In addition to the new canker sores, she noticed that her tongue was extremely swollen, prompting her to visit the dentist. The pain was so intense that it spread from her sled to her cheeks to her head and her tongue seemed to get bigger and bigger in her mouth. Tests eventually revealed the harsh truth – Margot was suffering from a form of tongue cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma. “I was shocked. Nobody wants to hear such bad news,” she added.
Despite treatment, her condition did not return to normal
After the diagnosis, the Scottish woman underwent a series of examinations, including MRI, CT and biopsies. After them, she learned even worse news. The results showed that the cancer had spread. Margot later underwent two operations on her tongue and the removal of affected lymph nodes in her neck. In addition to a large scar on his neck, he has speech problems and a permanently altered sense of taste after treatment. “I can’t eat anything sweet. If I eat chocolate, it tastes disgusting. If I eat ice cream, it tastes like a piece of butter. Everything is salty,” she commented.
Doctors ordered Margot to undergo six weeks of intensive targeted radiotherapy in Glasgow. “I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. The treatment made me lose 10 kilos. I lost all the muscles that I had worked hard on in the gym for three years. I had a well-formed body for 62 years. Now I’m slowly starting over“, she stated.
After her unpleasant experience, Margot wants to raise awareness about the symptoms of oral cancer, which many people miss. “Canker sores appear here and there throughout life, but they’re usually not dangerous. And that’s the problem, because then people tend to ignore them. Like most patients, I have never heard of cancer of the tongue or oral cavity, because it is not talked about at all. That’s why it didn’t even occur to me that something was wrong“, she concluded.
