Yorkshire dentist encourages patients to attend regular checks to increase the chances of spotting mouth cancer early
A dentist from Yorkshire is encouraging patients to attend regular check-ups in a bid to ensure that more cases of mouth cancer are detected early.
Recently, Dr Catharine Tannahill from North Yorkshire hit the headlines after her quick thinking helped to save the life of one of her patients.
Martine Clark, 60, visited Catharine for a routine check-up in 2019 and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Martine had suffered from a sore throat and during her check-up, Dr Tannahill noticed a suspicious lesion on her right tonsil.
Dr Tannahill encouraged Martine to go for further tests, and after investigations at the hospital, she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove the tonsils. She also completed a course of radiotherapy.
Martine said that going to the dentist saved her life and encouraged others to seek advice if they have symptoms, which might be linked to oral cancer. As well as a persistent sore throat, symptoms include difficulty swallowing, red or white patches in the mouth, slow-healing mouth ulcers and abnormal lumps and swelling.
Dr Tannahill explained that oral cancer screening forms part of routine dental checks and urged all patients to attend frequent appointments.
At the moment, with treatment backlogs, clinics may not be offering routine appointments, but urgent services are up and running and patients should seek immediate assistance and advice if they spot unusual symptoms.
Early diagnosis improves the chances of survival by up to 90 percent. Patients can contact their dentist or their GP if they have concerns about new or abnormal symptoms.
Mouth cancer has become increasingly prevalent in the UK in the last 10 years, with case numbers almost doubling.
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