Welcome to OCF! Hopefully you have nothign serious and will not need our services. If you would have cancer, you are in the very best place for info and support. One of the best things you can do is to remain calm, stay busy and do your very best to think positively. You do not need the added stress worrying causes.
Oral cancer does not always present symptoms which is why its often not discovered until its in its later stages. Anyone who has a sore or lump in their mouth for 2-3 weeks and it does not heal on its own should seek out a medical professional to determine exactly what they are dealing with. As a smoker, you are not allowing your body to heal on its own. By smoking you are taking in hundreds of known cancer causing chemicals with each puff. I know quitting is not an easy thing to do but please seriously consider eliminating tobacco use of all forms. Even e-cigs claiming to be chemical free have been found to have nicotine among many other chemicals added. Im a former smoker so I speak from first hand experience.... QUIT NOW!!!
If the ENT you are seeing specializes in treating oral cancer patients then you are going to the right person. You do NOT want to be checked by an ENT who primarily puts tubes in kids ears! Oral cancer is not a dental issue, its medical and should be covered by most insurance plans. Family doctors do not always have oral cancer patients on a routine basis so ruling out someone simply by age is not appropriate. Also, blood work will not detect oral cancer. While most patients who get diagnosed with OC are older than you, we have had quite a few younger people in their 20s as members. Only thru a biopsy will you know exactly what you are dealing with. Many experienced ENTs will do an OC screening and by visually examining the spot or sore they will be fairly certain of what a patient has. There are many, many things your spot could be besides cancer. Dysplaisa or leukoplakia are a couple examples of common sores people get. Most are easily treated and not serious at all. A biopsy is taking a tiny piece of tissue from the spot and getting it evaluated at a lab then the pathologist writes the report and sends it back to your doc. If you do not eat a balanced diet this can also affect your oral health negatively.
For more info, please read thru our main OCF site where there are many pages of info to better explain what Ive written. Hopefully you have nothing serious going on. Please let us know how your exam turns out. Best wishes!!!
Main OCF site, Understanding oral cancer
