Mouth cancer sufferers are risking their lives by waiting far too long to contact their doctor for an examination, a new report suggests.
According to experts, people who detect the signs of mouth cancer wait on average twice as long to seek advice as those suspecting any other kind of cancer. The call has now been put out for adults to increase their proactivity when it comes to detecting and acting upon the signs of mouth cancer, as stoicism is apparently leading to many needless deaths.
The average time a person waits before seeing their doctor after discovering evidence of potential mouth cancer is a full month, experts have revealed. This additional month has a very chance of damaging the patient’s chance for recovery and could even play a role in determining whether they live or die.
In addition, the report now added to the International Journal of Cancer states that those with suspected oesophageal cancer wait on average three weeks before speaking to their doctor.
Mouth cancer symptoms include persistent sores and ulcers, unusual or discoloured patches on the tongue or gums, swelling or any signs of abnormal growth.
Some of the signs of oesophageal include weight loss, sore throat, long-term coughs and trouble with swallowing.
The study was carried out as a collaborative effort between several leading universities in the UK, with 10,000 patients’ records being studied in accordance with 18 types of cancer.
Speaking on behalf of Cancer Research UK, Sara Hiom stated that while awareness of many cancer types is growing, there are still massive problems with the early detection of others.
“It’s good to see patients with kidney and bladder cancers going to their doctors so quickly, perhaps because their symptoms are more noticeable,” she said.
“But we must do more to encourage people with other less well recognised symptoms to see their GPs as soon as possible,”
“Some symptoms are more obvious than others so the important thing is to get to know your own body and what’s normal for you,”
“When cancer is diagnosed earlier, treatment is usually more effective and the chances of beating the disease are higher.”