In case you didn’t know – February is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. With Memorial Day just days away, you may wonder why I bring this up now. Well, as the saying goes, “Better late than never!”
And when it comes to oral cancer detection, earlier is better than late. In fact, early detection can mean the difference between a relatively simple office procedure and life-altering cancer treatment which can include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Quite literally, early detection can be a matter of life and death.
Peggy was just in our office for ongoing dental care when I noticed a small white patch of tissue under her tongue. It “peeked out” just beyond the reach of my mirror, but once revealed by stretching the tongue back a little more, there was no doubt that something was there.
Did she bite herself? I wondered. Was there a sharp cusp that was irritating her delicate tissue? Peggy was unaware of it. It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t tender. It didn’t look particularly ominous. In fact, it was quite innocent in appearance. But there it was and I didn’t know what “it” was…. And I needed to know what it was before I could be sure that it was nothing to worry about.
You see, Peggy is a 25-year survivor of oral cancer. When I told her of my discovery, she didn’t hesitate to contact her oncologist (who has been monitoring her for years) and schedule an appointment within days of our discovery.
Her diagnosis: early squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue i.e., oral cancer. Thankfully, it is in the earliest stages, and Peggy will not need additional surgery. (She had already been down that road years ago.) After her biopsy, she had a CT and PET scan. Her lymph nodes are clean. If all goes well (and it will go well because Peggy is the consummate optimist whose bright outlook and optimism are not only contagious but inspiring), she will have several rounds of immunotherapy and put all of this behind her. Had this asymptomatic “patch” gone undetected, in a few short months, her outlook would have been quite grim.
Statistically and historically speaking, the odds are that over the course of a dentist’s career, he/she may detect but one case of oral cancer. When diagnosed early, a patient’s life might be spared dire consequences like life-changing cancer therapy, or worse.
Strangely, over the past five weeks, I have referred three patients to a Board-Certified Oral Pathologist for further evaluation of something that looked inexplicably “curious”, which are more cases than I have referred out in the past five years.
Oral cancer and oropharyngeal cancer are on the upswing. Tobacco and alcohol use (especially in combination) as well as the HPV virus, are associated with increased risk. This has fueled the pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs to facilitate smoking cessation, and the CDC to recommend the HPV vaccine for young people to prevent HPV transmission through oral sex.
For as long as I can remember, we have performed oral cancer exams for all of our patients on an annual basis. Take comfort in knowing that we will continue to be vigilant in our commitment to the prevention and early detection of oral cancer for all of you.
Peggy – I dedicate this blog to you and your inspiring resilience, your can-do spirit, and your ever-warm and gracious smile, even when faced with adversity.
With your welfare ever a priority,
Michael Sinkin