Diagnosis

Tests and procedures used to diagnose soft palate cancer include:

• Examining your soft palate. Your doctor will use a mirror or tiny camera to examine your soft palate and other structures in your throat.
• Removing a tissue sample for testing. Your doctor will remove an area of suspicious tissue and send it to a lab for testing. In the lab, specially trained doctors (pathologists) will look for signs of cancer.
• Taking imaging tests. To better understand the size of your cancer and to look for signs that cancer may have spread beyond your soft palate, your doctor may recommend imaging tests, such as computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).