Troublesome cyst might have been something more than simple ulcer

THE chap I was seeing in the surgery last week had been troubled with an ulcer on his gum for the past few weeks.

You might know from experience that most mouth ulcers tend not to last that long.

The ulcer itself wasn’t that painful, he explained, and I knew that he was a smoker and a drinker too.

That was enough to convince me he probably needed a biopsy.

The ulcer could be perfectly innocent but I wanted to rule out mouth cancer.

It’s a condition that, while still quite rare, is on the increase in the UK for reasons which are not quite clear.

But we know that it is more common among people who smoke, have a diet low in fruit and vegetables or drink alcohol.

In fact it’s reckoned that most cases could potentially be prevented.

But mouth cancer is also a very treatable condition if it’s caught early enough.

It can appear just about anywhere in the fleshy parts of the mouth – lips, tongue, under the tongue, the roof of the mouth, throat or gums.

White or red patches show up inside the mouth before the cancer develops or there may be a bit of bleeding.

The most common treatment is surgery – although the type of operation will depend on the size and site of the tumour. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can also be used, but may not be needed if surgery removes the whole tumour.

Nowadays, dentists also keep a look-out for mouth cancer when checking people’s teeth.

The earlier it is diagnosed, the better the chance of cure.

One only need look at Michael Douglas – who has bounced back from mouth cancer – to see how successful treatment can be.