Why Early Detection Matters
The American Cancer Society estimates more than 54,000 new cases of oral and oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, and roughly 11,000 people die from them annually. The hard truth is that most of those deaths are preventable when the cancer is caught early — the five-year survival rate for oral cancer found at an early, localized stage is over 85%, and it drops below 40% once it has spread to distant tissues. That’s why every adult who comes to our Charlottesville practice gets a full oral cancer screening as part of a routine exam. No extra charge, no extra appointment, just careful care built in.
What Your Screening Looks Like
Your screening takes about two minutes, and you won’t feel a thing. Dr. Karamcheti gently looks at your lips, the inside of your cheeks, your tongue (top, bottom, and sides), the floor and roof of your mouth, your tonsils, and the back of your throat. She’ll softly feel your jaw and the lymph nodes in your neck to check for any unusual lumps or swelling. She’s watching for red or white patches, sores that haven’t healed in two weeks, thickened tissue, or anything that feels different from the tissue around it.
If anything looks worth a closer look, you’ll see it documented right there with photos and measurements. From there, the spot is either watched at a two-week follow-up or you’ll get a referral to an oral surgeon or ENT specialist at UVA Health for a biopsy. Most of the time these spots turn out to be completely benign — but the extra check is worth it to be sure.
Who Is at Risk?
Historically, oral cancer was associated mostly with older men who smoked and drank heavily. That’s still a high-risk group, but the picture has changed dramatically in the last two decades. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is rising rapidly and is showing up in younger adults and non-smokers. Things that raise your risk include:
- Tobacco use in any form (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, vaping)
- Heavy or chronic alcohol consumption
- Infection with high-risk HPV strains (especially HPV-16)
- Chronic sun exposure to the lips
- Age over 40 (though HPV-related cases can be much younger)
- Family history of head or neck cancers
Warning Signs to Watch For
Between your visits, check in with your own mouth from time to time. Call our Charlottesville office if any of these last more than two weeks: a sore that isn’t healing, unexplained bleeding, red or white patches, a lump or thickening, hoarseness that sticks around, trouble swallowing, a feeling that something is stuck in your throat, numbness, ear pain without an ear infection, or a change in the way your teeth fit together. Most of these turn out to be nothing serious — but the peace of mind from getting it checked is always worth the call.