Patients Thanks Dentist Who Spotted Cancerous Lesion During Routine Examination
A patient has thanked his dentist after she spotted a cancerous lesion when he visited for a routine dental check-up.
When 67 year old Alan Farrar, from Clayton, visited dentist, Zoe Wray, she noticed an unusual mark on his head as he was climbing into the dental chair. Dr Wray is trained in spotting signs of mouth cancer and knew that that the lesion did not look quite right. After closer inspection, she decided to write to a specialist at the local hospital to refer Mr Farrar for further tests.
Mr Farrar said that he was distressed when Dr Wray mentioned that the lesion looked like it could be a sign of skin cancer, but is extremely grateful to Dr Wray for acting on her instincts and sending him for tests. He expressed “enormous gratitude” to his dentist and said that her intervention could have saved his life, as he was able to see a specialist before the cancer spread.
Dr Wray referred Mr Farrar to maxillofacial consultant, Mr Daya Gahir and he attended an appointment at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire two weeks after his routine dental appointment.
In November last year, Mr Farrar had surgery to remove the cancerous cells.
Dr Wray said that she is accustomed to spotting the signs of cancer in the mouth or throat but knew straightaway that the lesion looked suspicious. She added that she is very pleased to learn that Mr Farrar is recovering well after surgery and in good health and urged all patients to keep up to date with their dental checks.
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