By Dr. Lana Jackson
MCGHealth Otolaryngologist

While brushing your teeth, you’ve noticed some red and white patches inside your mouth, and they seem to be increasing in number. What you may be seeing is an early sign of oral or throat - oropharyngeal - cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 7,000 Americans die of oral and throat cancers annually in the United States. Oral cancer includes cancer of your lips, mouth, tongue, gums and salivary glands. Throat cancer involves cancer of the part of your throat just behind your mouth.

If you are a longtime smoker or tobacco user, or if you consume heavy amounts of alcohol, you are at greater risk. Additionally, overexposure to ultraviolet light can cause damage to healthy cells on the lips.

About 30,000 people are diagnosed each year with oral cancer. Unfortunately most of these cancers are diagnosed at later stages, when treatment options are fewer and less effective. This is because oral and throat cancers are usually painless in their early stages or have minor symptoms similar to other health problems, such as a toothache.

Periodic self-examination of your mouth, coupled with regular screening by your physician or dentist, is the best way to detect oral and throat cancer in its beginning stages when treatment is most successful.

Signs and symptoms can include:

• White, red and white, or red patches inside the mouth or on the lips
• A sore on the lips or in the mouth that won’t heal
• Bleeding in the mouth
• Loose teeth
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Difficulty wearing dentures
• A lump in the neck
• Earaches
• Hoarseness

To reduce your risk of developing oral cancer, stop using tobacco and avoid drinking alcohol, especially if you have been a longtime user. Wearing a lip balm with sunscreen and a wide hat with a brim will help protect your lips from the sun, another cancer source.

While the warning signs may not always indicate cancer, it is important to get them checked out. Only about half of all patients diagnosed with oral cancer survive more than five years. Increase your chances of survival with regular screenings, and take the bite out of mouth cancer.

MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org.