Oral and pharyngeal cancer can have a significant impact on your quality of life. If left untreated these cancers can eventually spread to prove life threatening. This is just one of the reasons why every dental checkup at [practice_name] include an oral cancer screening.
Early detection of these oral health conditions can greatly improve your chances of treatment success. The University of Rochester Medical Center reports that the 5-year relative survival rates for oral and pharyngeal cancer are 83% for cancer that has not spread to another part of the body.
This rate drops to 62% if the cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes and 38% for cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body.
Early symptoms of oral cancer often include a lingering pain in your mouth, as well as swelling, or a lump in your cheek, or gums. You should also be concerned if you notice red or white areas on your gums, tongue, or tonsils.
Early symptoms of pharyngeal cancer might also include a persistent sore throat, or a feeling like something is stuck at the back of your throat. This often causes discomfort when swallowing.
Both types of cancers can also cause flu-like symptoms, which might include respiratory distress, a low grade fever, inflammation, body aches, and joint pain.
If you live in the [city], [state], area, and you’ve been experiencing symptoms of oral or pharyngeal cancer, you should call [phone] to schedule a checkup and screening at [practice_name].