Don’t Play The Waiting Game with Oral Cancer Symptoms
The waiting game is a dangerous game when it comes to oral cancer. It’s the reason why oral cancer is the only type of cancer that has not seen a decrease in death rates for decades. 34,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year and over half of those die before 5 years. For those not familiar with calculus, that’s more than 8,000 deaths per year. That is a higher percentage than many other cancers combined.
If you wait until the signs and symptoms become obvious, it may be too late, so early detection is the critical key to survival. Most people assume that this is a smoker’s problem, but the middle-aged non-smokers have the fastest growing oral cancer rate of all.
About one out of every 25 Americans have a dysplasia, or precancerous lesion at any given point in time. It could be a small red or white spot anywhere in the mouth, the cheeks, lips, gums, tongue, or palate. They’re like small cancer seeds. They usually slough off, but if they take root by gaining a blood supply, then they become dangerous. If they develop under the skin, they can be even harder to detect.
You can observe signs yourself, if you look carefully. The most common start is a small red or white spot or sore. It may bleed easily or never seem to heal. Other signs include:
A color change of the oral tissues
A lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area
Pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips
Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking, or moving the jaw or tongue
A change in the way the teeth fit together
However, these signs may be difficult for you to find or discern. That is why it is so important to have your dentist check for you regularly. We include a complete cancer screening as part of our yearly dental exams, using a special fluorescent light to help detect any lesions. Then we do a simple brush test to send any suspicious findings in for a lab analysis.
This is the most effective way to combat oral cancer, because if you catch it early, the treatment is usually easy and successful, so the time to start is now!
Dr. Moulton’s article was published in the Desert Valley Times,
September 2008
This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Oral Cancer Screening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
