Late stage diagnosis of oral cancer demands screening

A dentist suffered mouth pain and a non-healing ulcer before being diagnosed with mouth cancer after a series of dentists dismissed his condition. A doctor recommended a biopsy of the sore, which diagnosed oral cancer, a fatal condition that causes 8,000 deaths each year. However, with screening incorporated in dental appointments most oral cancers should be detected and treated, giving the sufferer a 80-90% chance of survival. Unfortunately the majority of the 30,000 new cases of oral cancer particularly in people over 45 years are diagnosed in advanced stages. Oral cancer is more common in heavy drinkers and smokers and appears as a chronic sore and pain anywhere in the mouth, most commonly on the tongue. Other symptoms include difficulty eating, swallowing, or talking, numbness or swelling in the mouth and discoloration of the oral cavity. Treatment is surgery to remove the cancer and local lymph nodes, and follow-up speech therapy to relearn the ability to talk.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Bucks County Courier Times

Related Disease Topics:

• Oral cancer
• Mouth cancer
• Cancer

Related Symptom Topics:

• Chronic sore
• Non-healing ulcer
• Mouth pain
• Sore
• Pain
• Tongue sore
• Difficulty eating
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty talking
• Numbness in the mouth
• Swelling in the mouth
• Discoloration of the oral cavity

Article Source Details

About: Late stage diagnosis of oral cancer demands screening

Date: 17 July 2005

Source: Bucks County Courier Times

Author: Jo Ciavaglia

URL: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-07172005-515499.html

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Cause of chronic sore
• Cause of non-healing ulcer
• Cause of mouth pain
• Cause of sore
• Cause of pain
• Cause of tongue sore
• Cause of difficulty eating
• Cause of difficulty swallowing
• Cause of difficulty talking
• Cause of numbness in the mouth
• Cause of swelling in the mouth
• Cause of discoloration of the oral cavity
• Cause of oral cancer
• Cause of mouth cancer
• Cause of cancer
• Risk and smoking
• Risk and drinking
• Risk and alcohol
• Risk and alcohol consumption
• Risk and oral cancer
• Risk and mouth cancer
• Diagnosis and chronic sore
• Diagnosis and non-healing ulcer
• Diagnosis and mouth pain
• Diagnosis and sore
• Diagnosis and pain
• Diagnosis and tongue sore
• Diagnosis and difficulty eating
• Diagnosis and difficulty swallowing
• Diagnosis and difficulty talking
• Diagnosis and numbness in the mouth
• Diagnosis and swelling in the mouth
• Diagnosis and discoloration of the oral cavity
• Diagnosis and oral cancer
• Diagnosis and mouth cancer
• Diagnosis and cancer

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