Early Detection of Mouth Cancer

Mrs X went to her dentist for a check-up. During examination of the oral soft tissues the dentist noticed a small lesion on the underside of the tongue. Mrs X was unaware of this. She had never been a smoker and rarely drank alcohol. The lesion couldn’t be explained and so the dentist made a referral to the local Oral Medicine clinic for a specialist opinion. A biopsy was undertaken. This identified an early mouth cancer. Mrs X’s was promptly referred to the multi-disciplinary head and neck cancer team. The early detection meant that treatment was not as extensive as it would have been if the lesion had been left. The 5-year survival rates for early mouth cancers are high.

To find out more about this condition read the Patient Information Leaflet (PiL) prepared by the Society on Mouth Cancer.