Cancer. What is it?

28-09-2022

We’re hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning this month, in order to try and raise some money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

But what is cancer? What can we do about it?

Cancer in general is the growth of abnormal cells in the body, which can then spread to any area of the body. It can affect anyone at any time during their life. Doctors are able to slow and even stop the spread of cancer with different treatments. Sometimes these are succesful, and other times they are not but with medical help, a person can live many years with or after a cancer diagnosis.

Oral Cancer is the one that we, obviously, take most notice of. We always do an oral cancer screening every time you sit in the dental chair. This is one of the reasons we encourage people to be seen every 6 months at least, so we can keep an eye on your soft tissues. Click Here to be taken to a blog we did a while back detailing what you can look out for at home with regards to oral health.

Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, and campaigns for better cancer care. They are only able to do their work by charitable donations, which is why we are trying to raise as much money as possible. Amy, our practice manager and her family were supported by Macmillan earlier in the year. Amy’s dad sadly lost his fight with nasopharangeal (this affects the back of the throat and the areas connecting the nose to the back of the mouth)  and cancer in March and Macmillan Cancer Support were there every step of the way.

Cancer can strike anywhere. The most common cancers in the UK are lung, colon and rectum, liver, stomach and breast cancers. Oral cancer has also been on the rise in recent years, with 8,000 people being diagnosed in the UK alone. This number is lower than most other countries though. But people who are most at risk are those who smoke or chew tobacco or smoke cigarettes.

If you are worried about any part of your body, its best to get it checked out. Orally, keep an eye out for changes in your mouth that don’t revert back after 2 weeks, legions, lumps, discolouration and lingering pain. It’s probably nothing but it’s always best to get it looked at.