Health professionals and mouth cancer - GP surgeries

Doctor examining a mouth cancer patientFree mouth cancer course

Cancer Research UK has teamed up with onmedica.net, the educational website for GPs, to produce a free online mouth cancer course for all GPs. The course is designed to help doctors identify signs and symptoms of mouth cancer and discover more about its risk factors, prevention and detection of the disease, and its treatment.

The role of GP surgeries

We all know that GP surgeries are overburdened with work. But being aware of mouth cancer risks and early warning signs could help to prevent or successfully treat this debilitating disease.

Unfortunately many cases of mouth cancer are diagnosed too late. The five year survival rate for mouth cancer in the UK is currently only around 50%. But for mouth cancers detected at an early stage, survival rates can be as high as 90%.

Early detection and primary prevention

GP surgeries have two important roles to play:

  • Identifying and appropriately referring early stage mouth cancers in patients presenting with mouth complaints
  • Identifying at risk patients and providing the relevant health promotion advice to help them reduce their risk

Seeing a patient with a ‘mouth problem’

We are currently campaigning to raise of awareness of the early warning signs of mouth cancer.

Many of these signs could be easily ignored. For example, most people don’t realise that a persistent mouth ulcer can be an early sign of mouth cancer. But in fact it is one of the most common mouth cancer symptoms.

Carrying out an oral examination

The oral mucosa tends to heal itself in two weeks. So any changes to a patient’s mouth that last three weeks or more should be checked out. Our referral guidelines for mouth cancer show you how to carry out an oral examination and what to look out for.

It is also important to identify whether a patient falls into any of the at risk groups for mouth cancer. But even if they don’t, an ongoing problem still needs attention.

Patients with urgent referral symptoms should be referred to a specialist within the two week waiting period.

Health promotion in GP surgeries

Sometimes you can tell from someone’s appearance and smell whether they smoke, chew tobacco or drink large quantities of alcohol. At other times patients may try to hide their tobacco or alcohol problems from health professionals.

Talking about mouth cancer could be a new way to start a conversation about the dangers of these sorts of behaviours. You might also want to talk about healthy eating, which is important for maintaining good oral and overall health.

We produce leaflets on mouth cancer in particular and reducing your risk of cancer in general. You could use these leaflets as discussion tools during consultations or display them in the waiting room.