Mouth cancer ‘has a savage nature’

Posted by Joanne Mellor

Developing mouth cancer can lead to a person’s appearance changing forever, due to the savage nature of the disease, in information that could be included in dental marketing campaigns.

According to Stephan Feller, principal investigator of Head and Neck Cancer Research Group at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, although surgery to get rid of a tumour can be life-changing, it is also likely to have a major impact on how an individual looks.

“Each cancerous tumour is unique – and not all patients should be treated the same way,” he said.

The specialist added: “The blanket ways in which care is administered must be tailored to individuals.”

Mr Feller also noted there is concern in the industry about the rise in cases of mouth cancer that can be attributed to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

Dr Henry Clover, deputy chief dental officer at Denplan, recently stated many people are not aware there is a link between HPV and the development of mouth cancer.