Re: oral cancer..
Yes Ive been studying up on this quite fervently recently as my tonsils have been an area of concern for the docs recently.
The best thing you can do to prevent it is get regular inspections from your Dentist, he is really your first line of defense.
Typically, Oral Cancers can show up in multiple locations in the mouth, i.e. the roof of the mouth, under the tongue and on the tongue (very common sites of presentment), in the tonsils, the tonsillar "pillars" (the parts next to the tonsil), and on the buccal mucose of the mouth.
The good thing is they typically present with visible lesions. Any white or red patches that do not heal within about 2 weeks should be suspected and seen by your doc or dentist if they do not go away. Many times if you have regular checkups you can catch it when its a pre-cancerous condition, such us leukoplakia (most common; white patches on the lining of the mouth) and erythroplakia (less common, reddish spots) and the prognosis is of course good in this instance.
It should be of note that if you dont smoke or drink regularly this would be less probable than a person who drinks or smokes regularly.
Good luck,
Ian.
Last edited by PlaDrv4Me; 05-02-2005 at 04:36 PM.
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