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Oral Cancer Screening Showed Areas Of Concern. How Concerned Should I Be That It Is Cancer?

Posted on Sun, 9 Sep 2012

Question: My wife went to the dentist and they did an oral cancer screening. They found two areas of "concern" on the roof of her mouth near the back - two red bumps. How concernced should she be its cancer? The dentist didn't biopsy today but said he wants to see her again in about two weeks. The dentist seems to think maybe it was some sort of trauma to the roof of the mouth. She has no other symptoms. 33 yr old female - quit smoking 11 years ago.

Answered by Dr. Pravin Banodkar (5 hours later)

Hello
Welcome
I would be pleased to answer your question .
You can give me answers to the following questions so I can help you further with your management.
Are the bumps painful ?
Are the bumps white or red in color?
Did the Doctor mention any growth in the area or fibrosis?
Does she have an difficulty opening or closing the mouth?
Does she have any lymph gland enlargements?
If Yes , are the lymph glands painful?

Thanks .

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Pravin Banodkar (7 minutes later)

Are the bumps painful ? no
Are the bumps white or red in color? Red
Did the Doctor mention any growth in the area or fibrosis? No
Does she have an difficulty opening or closing the mouth? No
Does she have any lymph gland enlargements? No
If Yes , are the lymph glands painful? n/a

Answered by Dr. Pravin Banodkar (9 minutes later)

Thanks for reply .

From this basic history , the chance of Cancer seems negligible . A thorough clinical examination should be done:

The causes of the bumps could be :
trauma
cyst
apthae ( ulcers )
Glandular cysts

The likelihood of Cancer can be rule out by a dental biopsy , if clinically warranted .

Thanks

Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar