What Is A Hard Mass Protruding Below The Right Tonsil Suggestive Of?

There is a hard mass protruding just below my right tonsil at the base of my tongue, behind my bottom row of teeth on that side. I don t recall it being present before two months ago and there is no such lump on the opposite side. It may have increased in size from the time I first noticed it (though it is hard to know for certain). I have minor throat pain and have had occasional, minor difficulties with swallowing. It feels hard to the touch, dense like bone, and it doesn t seem to move when pushed. I am concerned that this may be cancerous, a tumor. I plan to see a doctor once I can afford it (I m poor and have no health coverage), but I would like some outside perspective from a knowledgeable source in the meantime. Should I be worried? Or could there be another, less serious cause?