i had a biopsy about 1 month ago that said displaysia. The roof of my mouth is sore and it taste a little funny. I also have these little red bumps that come and go in my mouth. How would I know if displaysia turns to oral cancer?

Thanks Tracey

The only way to know will be through addition biopsy. If you choose not to have this removed, (some doctors laser things off, some want to watch them) please look at it regularly (I do not mean annually, I mean at least once a month) for changes in color, texture, size, etc. If anything changes, please get another doctor opinion and another biopsy. But there are no other methods right now for determining that dysplasia will convert to malignancy. In oral dysplasia only about 25% of them treated or not ever move further on to malignancy.

Tracey,
I don't really know what dysplaysia is. I tried to look it up but didn't understand the things I found. So I don't know if this will help - some dentists now have a test for oral cancer caused Visilite. They put some stuff in your mouth and shine a special light in. Cancerous and I think pre-cancer cells show up. My dentist is screening all new patients with this now. Too bad I didn't find this dentist until after my first partial glossectomy. If it wasn't the holiday I would call her to find out the relationship with dysplaysia. I hope this can help you.
Happy 4th of July !! Karen

dysplaysia is pre cancerous i know. My biopsy saidit was mild to moderate. I did smoke for about 7 years and never again will i do that. Im just scared that my dysplaysa will turn to oral cancer and im not going to know what to look for. Right now ive got a few things going on in my mouth. Karen how did your cancer start out?


Thanks Alot!
Tracey

Happy 4th of July to all!

I answered Tracey in her private message in more detail. But for anyone else who needs to know, mine started out with a sore on my tongue that wouldn't go away and sometimes made it painful to eat.

Tracey, here's how Brian answered me more than two years ago when I asked about dysplasia:
[quote]Dysplasia are those cells which are no longer normal, but they are not really malignant yet ... an in-between state, so to speak. Dysplasias also do not always go completely over to the dark side, but they are a step in that direction ... and having them removed, or watched very regularly, is prudent. Dysplastic leukoplakias can often return after surgical removal, many times done with a laser, sometimes via a blade excision. Keep an eye on things even after the removal from now until forever.[/quote]
In my husband's case, the pathology report of the initial biopsy by an oral surgeon (which returned a diagnosis of moderate dysplasia) warned of a possible "skip effect," meaning that cancer cells could be in areas that were not part of the biopsy. He had an excisional biopsy of the whole area of concern several weeks later and was diagnosed with SCC in situ, with a tiny bit superficially invasive -- the very earliest stage. He has required no further treatment but is checked regularly.

As Brian noted in his post, most dysplasias do not turn malignant. But you do need to keep on top of this and see an ENT -- preferably one who specializes in oral cancer -- if you notice any changes.

-- Leslie

OTOLARYNGOLOGY HNS is a new doc on Monday that i am going to see. Hopefully he will know more about what is going on here. Im so scared that im going to have oral cancer and it will be too late. I am only 29 I have a husband and 3 children. I am not ready to go anywhere anytime soon! All i can do is ask god for help and send me to the right dr. Someone who knows what they are doing. Thanks hun for the info.

HNS I believe stands for Head and Neck Surgeon and while it's best to get many opinions from different related doctors, know their specialty so you may understand where their opinion comes from, i.e. a surgeon will more than likely recommend surgery which may not be the consensus after consulting different doctors of different orientations to the same problem.

Karen,

Neither ViziLite nor the VELscope can provide a diagnosis. Both use different methods to check tissues. Any suspicious areas that are noted with the use of either of these "tests" must be biopsied in order to get a diagnosis.

I Hope this is helpful.

Jerry

I am in full agreement with my colleague, Jerry, on this.
Tools are tools. They are just a new addition to an already detailed history, examination, and simple process that should be utilized by all who practice our craft.
Cheers,
Mike