How to check for head and neck cancer at home
Early detection significantly improves treatment outcomes and can save lives.
PAY ATTENTION TO CHANGES - Familiarise yourself with your body and pay attention to any changes, such as lumps, sores, or persistent symptoms like a sore throat or difficulty swallowing, you can identify potential signs of cancer at an early stage.
MONTHLY ROUTINE - Make self-checks a routine part of your healthcare regimen to stay proactive about your health and well-being.
DENTIST CHECK UPS - Regular check ups with a dentist is also helpful as they should perform a cancer symptom check as part of your oral health review.
All you need is a mirror, a good light source and clean fingers! Follow the step by step guide.
At each step you are looking for anything unusual especially any lumps, red or white patches, changes in colour/texture or lingering ulcers. If you are worried about anything contact your dentist or doctor.
1Face
FACE Look at the whole face – are there any swellings you haven’t noticed before? Inspect your skin – has anything changed recently? Have moles become larger or started to itch or bleed? Turn your head from side to side – this stretches the skin over the muscles making lumps easier to see.
2Neck
NECK Run your fingers under your jaw and feel along the large muscle either side of neck using the balls of your fingers. Are there any unusual swellings? Does everything feel the same on both sides?
3Lips
LIPS Use your fingers and thumb to feel the inside of your mouth. Pull your upper lip upwards and bottom lip downwards. Look inside for any sores or changes in colour
4Gums
GUMS Use your thumb and forefinger. Examine your gums feeling around the gum for anything unusual.
5Cheeks
CHEEKS Use your fingers and thumb to feel the inside of your mouth. Pull your upper lip upwards and bottom lip downwards. Look inside for any sores or changes in colour. Open your mouth and pull your cheeks away, one side at a time, with your finger. Look for any red or white patches. Does everything feel the same on both sides? Use your finger in the cheek to check for ulcers, lumps or tenderness. Repeat on the other side. Your tongue can be helpful to locate sore areas, ulcers or rough patches
6Tongue
TONGUE Gently stick out your tongue and look at one side first and then the other. Look for any swelling, ulcers or change in colour. Examine the underside of your tongue by lifting the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
7Mouth
FLOOR AND ROOF OF MOUTH Tilt back your head and open your mouth wide to inspect the roof of your mouth. Look to see if there are changes in colour or ulcers. Check for changes in texture with your finger. Lift your tongue up and look underneath at the floor of your mouth. Look for any colour changes that are unusual. Gently press your finger along the floor of your mouth and under your tongue. Feel for any lumps, swellings or ulcers.
Prevention Is Key - The Top 4 Risk Factors
Prevention is key in the fight against Head and Neck cancer. Here are some proactive steps you can take to minimize your risk:
Getting the HPV Vaccine to block the human papilloma virus (HPV) is the best way to prevent these cancers from developing. There is a free HPV vaccination programme in the UK available to 12 to 13 year-olds and a catch up programme for those up to 25 years old.
1 TOBACCO USE
Tobacco use isn’t just smoking cigarettes, but also use of chewing smokeless tobacco (such as paan or gutkha), cigars, pipes, and snuff.
Those that consume tobacco are at a higher risk of getting head and neck cancer and should be aware of key symptoms.
2 ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Frequent and heavy alcohol consumption raises the risk of developing Head and Neck cancers.
3 THE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS
HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and is also a leading cause of throat and mouth cancers.
4 POOR ORAL CARE
Poor care of the mouth and teeth increases the risk of gum disease, which can enter the bloodstream and contribute to chronic inflammation associated with head and neck cancers.
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Email info@oraclehnc.org.uk
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Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1142037), and in Scotland (SC052790).
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