Mouth cancer patients ‘wait a month before seeing doctor’

People with cancers of the mouth and the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach, are waiting longer between first noticing a symptom and going to their GPs compared to patients with other types of cancers, the research suggests.

The study, conducted by researchers from Cambridge, Durham and Bangor universities and the National Cancer Intelligence Network, examined the number of days between when a patient first noticed a symptom to when they sought medical help.

Using data concerning GP
consultations of more than
10,000 patients with 18 different cancers, the authors found that for patients with mouth cancer the average time to visit their GP after noticing a symptom is around a month.

The research, published in the International Journal of Cancer, also found that oesophageal
cancer patients are waiting around three weeks to see their doctor.

Meanwhile, patients with bladder and kidney cancers wait just two or three days before going to see their GP.

Cancer Research UK said the findings highlight the need for awareness campaigns to encourage people to visit their GPs
sooner if they notice any symptoms.

Symptoms of oesophageal cancer include difficulties in swallowing, weight loss, throat pain and a persistent cough. Signs of mouth cancer include mouth ulcers that do not heal, red and white patches on the lining of the mouth or tongue and swelling in the mouth that lasts three weeks or more.