Intense pain He made repeated trips to accident and emergency departments to request stronger painkillers. He says the doctors believed that, despite reporting intense pain, he was simply seeking attention. The cancer was eventually spotted after he had lost two stones in weight because the tumour was beginning to block his throat. I wonder what it would have been like for anyone who was a NHS patient in these circumstances. I am becoming a little tired of standing in this chamber complaining about poor health treatment that my constituents receive.
Oral cancers can initially have the appearance of ulcers or other normal mouth problems.
If such problems fail to clear up by themselves or to respond to treatment, doctors are advised to be suspicious and refer for further tests. Oral cancer is one of the more dangerous cancers, as only one in two people survive - early diagnosis improves survival chances. While GPs are not used to seeing a patient's mouth as often as a dentist is, for example, specialists should know better.