One of the six steps in a Six-Step Screening
Here is yet another story of a relatively young man (53 years of age) who had a persistent sore throat. It’s the same ‘old’ story. He went to his physician who prescribed antibiotics. When the sore throat persisted, he was referred to an ENT who found the oral cancer, or to be more precise, oropharyngeal cancer. There may have been a time delay along the way. Perhaps, there was a hard lymph node that wasn’t tender, so Scott thought nothing of it. Let’s hope there are some signs & symptoms so these cancers aren’t diagnosed at such a late stage.
A dentist who does a proper oral cancer screening may find asymmetry in the tonsillar area. They should also educate their patients that a persistent sore throat, hoarseness, or any enlarged lymph nodes on the side of the neck, need to be checked out immediately.
What’s pretty neat about Scott Morris’s story is that he had robotic surgery. This is a less invasive way to remove the cancer out of an area that his hard to reach surgically. But, one can’t go just anywhere for this type of surgery. You want to go to a place that has experience with a specific individual’s needs.
Does your dentist ask you to go ‘Ahhhh’ to check the back of your throat for just this reason???
Comments 1
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