BRACKEN VERNON-JELIER Western Morning News (Plymouth, UK) November 22, 2011

Mouth cancer rates have risen by more than 20 per cent in the last 30 years and there are more than 4,000 new cases a year in England. but with a disease that is so prevalent why are so many cases being detected too late? Keith Francis, from Ivybridge in Devon, was 58 when a change to a simple action that he performed every day changed the course of his life. Whilst brushing his teeth one evening he noticed he had begun to spit blood. Assuming it was due to small graze on his tongue; he ignored it and went to bed. Little did he know that he had late stage aggressive mouth cancer and the disease was just weeks away from becoming inoperable.

November is Mouth Cancer Awareness Month and cases like Keith’s are being used to highlight the warning signs of a disease which, without early detection, could claim 30,000 lives over the next decade.

Keith, a retired architectural engineer, said: “I just wasn’t aware that mouth cancer was something you could get. it had never crossed my mind and even when they performed a biopsy I was confident that everything was OK. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

His dentist, John Gittins, owner and principal dentist of Highland Dental Care in Ivybridge, says there is a worrying lack of public awareness into the often fatal disease. “It is the results of surveys and campaigns like this that really highlight the lack of knowledge on this serious subject. Dental professionals are always on the lookout for signs of anything unusual, but without regular check-ups the six to 12 months inbetween can see a lot of change and we need to make sure that our patients are aware of the symptoms to look out for.”

A study commissioned by the British Dental Health Foundation discovered that more than four in five people failed to know any symptoms of the disease. The survey, which questioned more than 800 people, looked particularly into the behaviours and attitudes of children aged 12-16 and their parents, in a bid to discover their level of understanding in a disease which is rapidly and progressively affecting a greater number of younger people.

It found that more than three in every four parents failed to recognise any early warning signs of the disease which is diagnosed in 6,000 people in the UK every year.

The surgery that followed Keith’s diagnosis was intensive and invasive and confirmed that the cancer was only 3mm away from spreading beyond medical control.

“Getting it checked out saved my life. it was a progressive tumour. The surgeon that treated me at the time told me that it was one of the fastest growing cancers and that amongst the top ten causes were hard drinking, like brandy and whisky – which I didn’t do – and smoking, which I didn’t do either.”

Surgery involved cutting away the tumour, which affected 40 per cent of the left side of his tongue, and replacing the tissue with skin taken from other areas of his body. He underwent five operations with three surgical teams working on him at once. He was off work for six months and for two months he could only breathe through a tube in his throat and be fed through a tube directly into his stomach. He was only able to communicate with his wife and family through writing notes until his mouth was healed enough.

Work with a therapist has meant that Keith’s speech is as clear as it ever was, but he is one of the lucky ones. six years of checkups means that Keith has now been given the all clear. Alec Cross in Modbury is in the early stages of treatment following diagnosis only weeks ago.

“I had a problem on my gum that I put down to rubbing from a clasp that went around my top teeth. but when the problem got worse and I had it checked out, a biopsy confirmed it was cancer. I was very alarmed when they said that they may have to remove all my teeth. Fortunately that has not had to happen, but they have had to remove a large slice of my tongue and my treatment continues.”

His dentist, John, said; “As well over half the population received a dental exam in the last two years dental teams are in the ideal position to share information about the risks and symptoms of mouth cancer with their patients. both Alec and Keith are examples of how a dentist can help to diagnose these problems – we wish Alec all our very best wishes for his continuing treatment and for a very speedy recovery.”

According to BUPA, symptoms of mouth cancer may include an ulcer in the mouth or lip that won’t heal; constant pain or soreness; red or white patches in the mouth; a lump on the lip, tongue or in the neck; bad breath; unexplained bleeding in the mouth, numbness or loose teeth.

Highland Dental Care is based in Ivybridge and will welcome anyone interested for a free mouth check-up during November. to make an appointment please call the reception team: 01752 893152.

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