Although I have not been dx with anything yet, I am sure everyone can relate to how the mind works. In to the dentist for a regular cleaning last week and the hygenist noticed some fine white lines on the floor of the mouth that crossed the frenulum. They seem to look like fish scales at the floor of my mouth...or stretches...the hygenist referred to them as "Striations." No sores, ulcers, pain, lumps, anything like that so the dentist came in and looked and suggested we do a brush biopsy just to be safe. I am only 29 but have smoked regularly and kind of heavily for about 12 years. Although many will be happy I have only had one today...that is GOOD for me!!!! I am trying! My question is that God Forbid this is something positive, does it sound to most like this would be an "early" stage as opposed to a late stage. I have read that the prognosis is obviously much better in the early stages. I was in for a cleaning 6 months ago and then again about 4 months ago to get a cavity filled. The dentist obviously did not see or notice these then, so it is a fairly new thing. These white lines seem to be less distinct in the morning which could very well mean that it is some type of irritation from smoking, however, i am going a bit nuts right now, checking my mouth and neck every half hour..i should probably stay off the internet until I get my results back which should come in next week some time. The dentist said she tends to be overly aggressive and does quite a bit of brush biopsies because it is better to be safe than sorry...and will do them on ANY tissue change she sees whether the patient is a smoker or not...any ideas to help me ease my mind until the results come back in...thank you.

Dmvcc, I cannot tell you anything about what your striations might or might not be, but as someone whose dentist blew off the hygienist when she pointed out something in my mouth, I hope you thank yours and your dentist for their vigilence. Given the time frame involved, if you have a problem, you will most probably be in much better position than the people whose dentists were not so concerned and aware. Let us know the outcome. And this might be just the wakeup call you need to discontinue the tobacco that will get you later, one way or another, even if you come out okay this time. It IS good that you are trying!

Dmvcc, Your dentist is wise to be proactive. Please do not worry any more than neccesary to kick the smokes. It isn't cancer until the pathologist says it is. Even if this brush biopsy came back positive it would not be cause for extreme worry yet. The next step would be a follow-up surgical biopsy to be more accurate than a brush biopsy. These things don't turn into a full blown stage 4 over night.

Take care and let us know how it comes out.

Hi Dmvcc,
I'm no doctor and wouldn't presume to try and diagnose your situation but your mention of 'white striations' rang a bell for me. It is a common symptom of oral lichen planus, with which I was first diagnosed before developing SCC.

Here's a description from an article on this condition (found at
http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic663.htm)

"Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes bilateral white striations, papules, or plaques on the buccal mucosa, tongue, and gingivae. Erythema, erosions, and blisters may or may not be present."

There is a lot of information about lichen planus on the OCF site. Use the OCF search function.
Also, you can do a google search on this for more information and if you want to see images, can do a search at images.google.com

This may or may not apply to you. However, I would urge you to be aggressive in pursuing a diagnosis. Often, a surgical biopsy rather than a brush biopsy is required. Should your diagnosis say 'no cancer', it is still important to monitor inflammatory conditions. Oral lichen planus can develop into squamous cell carcinoma in about 3-5 percent of cases.

Hope this is of some help. Best, Sheldon