• 7/29/2004
  • Oakland, MI
  • By CASEY CURTIS
  • The Daily Oakland Press

Dave Nilson’s sore throat lasted almost six months. Assuming it would go away without treatment was his biggest mistake.

The pain – which began to spread to his neck and caused a small lump in his mouth – stayed. Eventually, the 44-year-old Troy resident went to his doctor for an examination and was sent home with antibiotics for strep throat. When the lump grew larger over a two week period, Nilson’s doctor referred him to an oral cancer specialist who performed a biopsy. On Christmas Eve of 2002, Nilson received the devastating news that the lump was in fact stage three – almost the last stage – of squamous cell carcinoma.

Never having smoked, chewed tobacco or drank alcohol, Nilson was utterly overwhelmed. Just a couple of years earlier, Nilson had lost his sister to melanoma and feared the worst. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to die, too,’ ” he says.

In February 2003, Nilson underwent a 15-hour procedure to have tissue, several lymph nodes and 60 percent of his tongue removed. His jaw was cracked in half to remove the affected areas and muscle from his chest was stretched upward to replace the tissue lost on the right side of his neck.

Everything seemed to be going well, but Nilson developed “deadbone” in his jaw. That meant blood was not flowing to the bone. It restricted him from talking, eating and sometimes breathing. Nilson was given feeding tubes and breathing tubes to help him.

Last month, Nilson had surgery to correct his jaw. Bone and tissue from his leg were transferred into his jaw area in hope of making it heal. Unfortunately, Nilson suffered a stroke after the procedure. His recovery now will be much longer, and much more difficult.

Most are unaware

The Oral Cancer Foundation says 30,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year, and yet many people believe oral cancer is a rare disease. As such, they hear little about it. Death rates for oral cancer are higher than death rates of cervical, and skin cancer, according to The Oral Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Richard Arden of the Ear, Nose and Throat Physicians center in Sterling Heights, who was also Nilson’s physician, says oral cancer doesn’t only effect smokers, tobacco chewers and drinkers. “There is a small percent of patients who get it for reasons we still don’t know,” he says.

Although he has been cancer free for a little over a year now, Nilson won’t be in the clear for another four years. Patients aren’t considered cancer free until five years after the last day of their final treatment or surgery.

The cancer has taken its toll on Nilson as well as his family. His two sons Ryan, 21, and Eric, 18, were devastated with the news. Ryan eventually dropped out of his classes at Western Michigan to come home and help with the family businesses.

Nilson and wife Cheryl, 46, own four 7-Eleven stores and a Chicken Shack. Staff at each of the stores kept the businesses going in Nilson’s absence. Because of this support, Cheryl was able to spend most of the day with her husband in the hospital. How did she make it through the really tough times? “To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” she says quietly.

Unnoticed symptoms

One of the real dangers of oral cancer is that it can go unnoticed in its early stages. It can be painless, and little in the way of physical changes may be obvious. Arden says most symptoms are throat soreness, a small lump in the oral cavity and red or white lesions that may appear in the mouth. Neck pain, hoarseness or any numbness that lasts over two weeks are also symptoms. In these cases, Arden says it’s important to get a check-up from either your primary care physician or through a dental exam where a biopsies can be performed.

Some dentists, such as Bloomfield Township dentist Dr. Timothy Reilly, can perform a simple and painless procedure called a brush biopsy. The brush resembles a mini toilet brush, which is swiped back and forth over the lesion. The brush extracts cells from the surface and a little below the surface, which are transferred onto a slide and sent for analysis.

Reilly says he always looks for abnormalities in his patient’s mouth, and urges dentists to do thorough exams of the tongue, cheeks and floor of the mouth. “Not only is it good for your mouth and your body, but it can save your life,” he says.

Although the support from his family and friends has been tremendous, Nilson also found hope at a Troy Beaumont group called Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer. The group meets once a month to share their experiences, hardships and advice on the disease. Nilson says the group has been a big help with his self-esteem and has no doubt about his future of being cancer free.

When all the surgeries are finished, wounds healed and victory is achieved, Nilson says he wants one thing: “A nice slice of pizza.”