Source: www.clickondetroit.com
Author: staff

It was the winter of 2002 when then-34-year-old Kelley Fish of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., first spotted the lump that would change her life. “I was looking in the mirror, and I thought ‘what the heck is that?’ It was certainly visible,” said Fish.

Fish went to the doctor, who thought it was an infection and prescribed antibiotics. But two months later, the lump was still there. “Then they went forward and sent me to an ear, nose and throat specialist and finally had the lump removed,” said Fish. Fish said the tumor was the size of a large grape, and it was malignant. Fish was diagnosed with stage 4 oral cancer.

“I was horrified,” said Fish. “They say you should never get on the Internet. The statistics were not in my favor at that point.”

Experts said oral cancer includes cancers of the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate, sinuses and throat. Stage four is the most advanced stage.

Fish had surgery, 32 radiation treatments and three cycles of chemotherapy. The treatments left her fatigued and suffering multiple side effects. “It was hell, excuse my expression,” said Fish. “I was unable to swallow after a period of time. I had burns, second- or third-degree burns, on my neck. It was the scariest moment or time in my life to say the least.” Like most people, Fish had assumed oral cancer was something older men got, not 34-year-old women.

“When I was in dental school, it was considered an ‘old man’s’ disease,” said Dr. Jed Jacobson, the chief science officer for Delta Dental of Michigan. But Jacobson said oral cancer trends are changing.

“Two groups in which oral cancer is increasing is women and our younger Americans,” said Jacobson.

Experts said smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking too much alcohol are the major risk factors for oral cancer, but about 25 percent of people being diagnosed, especially younger people, don’t smoke or drink. Experts believe the human papillomavirus, or HPV, may be to blame.

“They have located and found HPV, human papillomavirus 16 and 18, in those tissues, and so there is a strong association in that 25 percent that doesn’t have the traditional factors,” said Jacobson.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found people infected with HPV were 32 times more likely to develop cancer of the tonsils or tongue than those who did not have the virus. That’s a concern because HPV is incredibly common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women will be infected at some point in their lives. Some estimates put that number as high as 80 percent in women.

There is a vaccine that protects against the most common strains of HPV. It’s currently recommended for girls and women age 9 to 26. It’s also been approved for use in boys and men age 9 to 26.

“There’s a level of embarrassment, if you will, to talk about a virus that’s passed through sexual activity, but that’s the reality, and regardless of how uncomfortable the conversation may be, we have to educate the public to the risks,” said Jacobson.

Experts said every patient should be screened for oral cancer at least once a year during their regular dental checkup.

“The hygienist or dentist will grasp the tongue with a piece of gauze and very carefully pull the tongue out and thoroughly examine the top of the tongue and the sides of the tongue, as well as laying a tongue blade or mouth mirror on the tongue and have the patient phonate the word ‘ahh,’ so that the dentist and hygienist can visualize back to the throat,” said Jacobson.

Doctors said the symptoms of oral cancer include red or white spots in the mouth or on the lips or tongue that don’t heal, any swelling, lumps, bumps or sores that don’t go away in two weeks, a lump in the neck, unexplained bleeding, numbness, or tenderness in the mouth, difficulty chewing or swallowing, and hoarseness, chronic sore throat, ear pain or weight loss.

Fish was a smoker when she was diagnosed with oral cancer. She tested negative for HPV, but she wants to warn people to take oral cancer seriously. She hopes sharing her experience with the disease will help save someone else.

“More and more younger people are being diagnosed with this atrocious, hideous disease, and I think that it is important that people are aware of the risk factors, and not just drinking and smoking,” said Fish.

After beating the odds, Fish now has a 5-year-old son and another baby on the way. She said still worries the cancer will come back.

“I do have a lot of anxiety, and I think that the first several years, a sore throat, or just your average annual flu or cold that comes around or came around, I ran right to my doctor,” said Fish.

But she said she tries to focus on enjoying her second chance at life.

“I am just so happy that I’ve been able to experience being a mother, and I get up everyday and thank the dear God that I’m here,” said Fish.