My mum has white patches in her mouth and has been referred to a specialist! She is 75yrs old!?

Question

My sister says it doen't look to good and is probably oral cancer!
I'm really worried about her!
Could it be something else?

Answer 1

I can so relate to your question I have had white patches in my mouth under my tongue for over 4 years now the dentist discovered them and referred me on to the hospital. I have to go to the hospital every 6 months for a biopsy just to check that the cells have not changed.

They class mine as pre cancerous but state that they may never turn cancerous and it’s surprising how many people actually have these cells within their bodies, but it never progresses in to the illness. I have had laser treatment and that has removed many of the cells.

I know it’s easier said them done but don’t expect the worse. I wish you and your mother the very best of luck. Least your mother is under a specialist and if any treatment is required it will done

Answer 2

It is good that she will be seeing a specialist. There is a pre-cancerous condition called leukoplakia that can develop on the tongue or inside the cheeks. It can be caused by dentures or smoking. The sores are usually white or greyish, thickish, raised, and often painless.

Here are some images
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&resnum=0&q=leukoplakia&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Usually once whatever is irritating the mouth is stopped or removed than the condition reverses itself. But because these lesions can turn into cancer than your mother should be seen by a specialist to determine if further treatment is warranted.

And, yes, this could be something other than leukoplakia as it could be oral cancer or thrush or kanker sores. A doctor should always be consulted to determine diagnosis.

Answer 3

As noted by Dr Frank (who is unfortunately, rarely wrong, and I hate following him) this is most likely leukoplakia This is translated as white plaques or patches just as you described. It is a precancerous condition and she is being referred to a specialist most likely for evaluation and possible "staging". Staging is a method for determining how developed a condition has become. It may just require observation, or they may suggest treatment.

The best treatment, however, is to stop all tobacco and alcohol product use as these products exacerbate the condition.

Best wishes for your mum's health!

Answer 4

Wait and see and don't worry don't let your mum see you are anxious it may be something very treatable and the fact that she is being seen to is very positive I sincerely wish her the very best and you too ,you might let us know how she got on xx x x x

Answer 5

It is likely to be leukoplakia, this is pre-cancerous, rather than cancer. It is much more common in smokers or ex-smokers. If it is no more advanced than this, it will just be observed.

Answer 6

Most likely not oral cancer. It is most likely thrush. It is a yeast infection in the mouth. Here is an article with a picture.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://health.yahoo.com/media/mayoclinic/images/image_popup/r7_oralthrush.jpg&imgrefurl=http://health.yahoo.com/topic/oralcare/overview/article/mayoclinic/236370E6-B526-43BF-819807B8B369435C&h=291&w=400&sz=28&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=txraUJYnhPd-mM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dadult%2Bthrush%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

Answer 7

It could be ulcers. I hope she's OK xox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouth_ulcer

Answer 8

Could it be herpes? That would be better than cancer.