Is this a tumor?

I’m gonna be the first one to lay this out there... here’s my situation:
A few years back, I had these two identical bumps on the left side of my doorframe, but I just ignored them and they eventually faded away.
But then, a couple of months ago, things changed. I noticed a wart on the left side of my upper lip, plus this larger, fleshy, light pink growth on the left side of my hard palate. It's actually growing. Also, the left side of my face looks slightly... I don't know, asymmetrical compared to the right? It wasn't like that before puberty. I did a little digging online and now I'm spiraling, thinking this could easily be a tumor—maybe oral or airway cancer. Breathing feels fine, though.
Should I go see a doctor? (Honestly, I really hate going to them)
How much do these symptoms actually align with a tumor? And is there any way to tell if it's malignant or not?

So, you aren't exactly a fan of doctors, huh? I suppose that doesn't bode particularly well for your peace of mind—since, frankly, you really need a medical professional to take a look at something like this.
The internet is a bit of a minefield these days; you can read just about anything online and end up spiraling into a panic over something that might actually be nothing at all.
Ultimately, any doubts you have will either be dismissed or confirmed by a doctor—someone who actually knows what they’re looking at.

I don't want to alarm you regarding the lump itself, but I do know someone very close to me who was told by a few specialists that it was nothing more than a minor, benign growth. As it turned out, they arrived far too late—it was actually malignant, and the situation became incredibly complicated (and they were quite young, too).

At the end of the day, we can only speculate about a diagnosis here. It's probably best to head straight to a specialist. Good luck. 🙂

Yeah, I’m leaning towards that too, but who should I actually see?
Should I hit up my primary care doctor or go straight to the dentist? I wasn't sure if this growth falls under general medicine or dental stuff...
And I didn't mention earlier that it started out looking like just a tiny little slit. Now it’s grown to about half an inch thick, an inch and a half long, and maybe a bit wider... and the texture isn't smooth at all. It looks kind of like a turtle shell with those bumpy ridges on it...

If you can manage it, I’d suggest heading to the dentist first just to get a professional opinion—then maybe follow up with your primary care physician, who can then refer you to an oral medicine specialist if they think that's the best route to figure out what's actually going on.
I don't necessarily think it's anything catastrophic, but I really hope you get some answers soon. I know doctors aren't exactly your favorite people, but—honestly—it's probably worth doing whatever is necessary for your health just so you can have some peace of mind. 😉
let me know what they say

It's a tumor, since it's growing and malignant. If that lymph node was connected to it six years ago, it's likely cancer by now...
but I won't know for sure for a few more days, and I'll definitely be looking for some advice then
thanks

Look, it isn't just malignant tumors that grow; benign ones do the same thing. With malignancy, the real issue is the metastasis—the way it spreads through the body. It’s highly unlikely that a lymph node that swelled up six years ago would have anything to do with you potentially having cancer right now. Besides, where are you getting this idea that you probably have cancer? What kind of tests have you actually undergone? Are you just being dramatic, or am I misreading you?

Clearly spent a little too much time browsing the web and now you're out here throwing diagnoses around.

Yeah, I did some digging;
Apparently, when a tumor is benign, the body recognizes it and keeps it in check, so it just sits there. But if it's malignant, it starts spreading because the immune system can't shut it down. That’s what Google says, anyway—it even mentioned that a tumor might actually be an early stage of cancer. If that was the case with me six years ago, maybe it isn't even a tumor anymore...
Either way, I'd rather have it be nothing. I'm headed in for the biopsy tomorrow, so I'll just wait and see what the lab results say.
The doctor tried to play it cool and used really soft language to describe the tumor, but my Pisces intuition told me he was being way too cautious. He gave me this look, too...
It just makes me think of my grandparents and how they both passed away from cancer, all those swollen lymph nodes and everything else...
..just paranoia, I guess...

I think you're just messing with us.

Have you actually seen a doctor? You can't just diagnose yourself on the internet. A swollen lymph node doesn't automatically mean you have cancer or something.

So, I went in today, after noticing it had actually grown a bit more...
The doctor gave me this really strange look while he was writing out the urgent referral, saying it looks like a tumor.
Maybe I’m just overthinking things, but I don't like the sound of that at all...

So, who did you actually see? Was it just a regular GP at a local clinic or a specialist?

general observations
you don't exactly need an MD to realize that if a lump of flesh is growing uncontrollably and looks all lumpy and uneven—like, just bunched up under the skin—it’s a tumor
it's several centimeters wide too, so it doesn't exactly look like it's there for any good reason...

First off, half of this general advice has absolutely nothing to do with actual medicine.

Telling someone they have some kind of cancerous growth without doing any further analysis is incredibly reckless. Just go see a specialist. Let them run a biopsy on it first, then maybe we can start talking about diagnoses.

Paul Lewis77 said:General medical common sense
doesn't really require a specialist to realize that a lump—especially one that’s growing abnormally and looks irregular (meaning, just bunched up, uneven tissue)—is likely a tumor.
It’s several centimeters large, too, which... well, it doesn't exactly look like anything good is going on there.

Speaking from what I've seen with my own family, I’m telling you that you need a specialist and you need this investigated properly.
We aren't just talking about a quick physical exam here; we're talking about ultrasounds, MRIs, whatever else is necessary, and potentially even a biopsy. Essentially, seeing a professional is the only way to go.
That's how you actually determine the surgical plan.

They actually cut out my mole during my PhD exam...
Right now, the diagnosis says
Papilloma labii oris sup et palati
Does anyone know what that actually means?

Who told you to cut it? You literally said yesterday there was no need to see a specialist.

And where are you located? These doctors of yours move at lightning speed. Around here, I’d be waiting at least a few days just to get an appointment.

So, my doctor gave me a referral for the oral and maxillofacial surgery ER yesterday. I can't quite remember the exact term they used...
Well, they just finished cutting out a little bit of everything, and now I've got this report in my hand detailing all the stuff mentioned above...
I was over at the Mayo Clinic
They asked if I was okay with the procedure, then they just went ahead with the excision and that was that...
What does all that stuff above actually mean? Like, the diagnosis?

I haven't a clue; it’s all Latin jargon and I’m definitely not a doctor.

Wait until you actually get those biopsy results back before you start spiraling. There is zero point in stressing out over nothing right now.

By the way, do you smoke?

Heh, I really need to light up right now, but my mouth is killing me... these sores are stinging so much...
I should probably quit whatever this is... though I've been a heavy smoker for 10 years straight...

I'm pretty sure a papilloma is just a benign tumor...