The inside of the mouth is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and coral pink in color. Any alteration in this appearance could be a warning sign for a pathological process. The most serious of these is oral cancer. The following can be signs at the beginning of a pathologic process or cancerous growth:
Reddish patches (erythroplasia) or whitish patches (leukoplakia) in the mouth
A sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily
A lump or thickening on the skin lining the inside of the mouth
Chronic sore throat or hoarseness
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
These changes can be detected on the lips, cheeks, palate and gum tissue around the teeth, tongue, face and/or neck. Pain does not always occur with pathology, and curiously, is not often associated with oral cancer. However, any patient with facial and/or oral pain without an obvious cause or reason may also be at risk for oral cancer.
The skin of the face, ears and scalp can also show changes and while these changes are often associated with age and/or sun exposure, several warning signs should prompt further investigation such as:
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) usually looks like a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the sun-exposed skin of the head, neck, or shoulders.
Small blood vessels may be visible within the tumor.
A central depression with crusting and bleeding (ulceration) frequently develops.
A BCC is often mistaken for a sore that does not heal.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is commonly a well-defined, red, scaling, thickened patch on sun-exposed skin.
Like BCCs, SCCs may ulcerate and bleed.
Left untreated, SCC may develop into a large mass.
Malignant melanomas are brown-to-black pigmented lesions.
Warning signs include change in size, shape, color, or elevation of a mole.
The appearance of a new mole during adulthood, or new pain, itching, ulceration, or bleeding of an existing mole should be checked.
The following easy-to-remember guideline, “ABCD,” is useful for identifying malignant melanoma:
Asymmetry: One side of the lesion does not look like the other.
Border irregularity: Margins may be notched or irregular.
Color: Melanomas are often a mixture of black, tan, brown, blue, red, or white.
Diameter: Cancerous lesions are usually larger than 6 mm across (about the size of a pencil eraser), but any change in size may be significant.
We would recommend performing frequent oral and skin self-examination and remember that your mouth is one of your body's most important warning systems. Do not ignore suspicious lumps or sores. Please contact us so we may help.
Dr. Orr has extensive experience with oral & maxillofacial pathology including those associated with skin of the face, facial bones, and other soft tissues of the head and neck region.