When you think of cancer, which ones do you worry about? Breast cancer? Prostate? Bowel? How about mouth and throat cancers? It probably never crossed your mind that you might get cancer in your mouth or throat, but mouth cancers account for 2% of all cancers in the UK. Each year 6,800 people are diagnosed with mouth cancer.

Scientists say that these numbers are on the rise. What’s driving the rise in mouth and throat cancers? Well, it’s a lifestyle thing. This means that you are more likely to develop mouth and throat cancers as you get older and your lifestyle catches up with you. Smoking and drinking play a large part in people developing mouth cancers. Being overweight also makes it more likely you will develop mouth cancers and so does not eating plenty of fruit and veg.

The good news is that, if it caught early, mouth cancer is easily treated. So, to stay on top of mouth cancer, you need to come for a mouth cancer screening in Guildford once a year. We can tack it onto one of your 6-monthly check-ups.

What to expect in your mouth cancer screening

We will be looking for visual evidence of mouth cancer by carefully examining your lips and the inside of your mouth. We will use a mirror to make sure we can see everywhere:

• Your tongue and under your tongue
• The back of your throat
• Your palate
• Inside your cheeks
• All around your gums.

Then we will use our fingertips to have a good, but gentle, feel of your throat through your neck, probing for any lumps and bumps that shouldn’t be there.

We will also want to know if you have been aware of any odd things like developing a hoarse voice or a cough or a tingle that won’t go away.

If we do find something and it’s in its early stage, simply having it removed in a minor surgery should be enough. As long as you come every year for a mouth cancer screening, there is no need for any problems to develop beyond the early stages.