Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel, (By Tsai Pei-chi and Christie Chen)

Taipei, Aug. 5  –  A seven-year-old boy in Taiwan has been diagnosed as Asia’s youngest and the world’s second youngest oral cancer patient, said Dr. Hsia Yi-jan from Taipei’s Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital Friday.

The boy, surnamed Liao, was diagnosed with oral cancer after pustules were found on his tooth extraction wound, which failed to heal after he pulled out a tooth at the beginning of the year, said Hsia, who directs the hospital’s oral and maxillofacial surgery center.

It is rare for children to contract oral cancer, as oral cancer patients in Taiwan are usually between 30 and 45 years old, the doctor said. The exact cause of Liao’s cancer has not yet been determined.  Liao was discharged from the hospital Friday after successfully recovering from the surgery.

Hsia, who performed the surgery for Liao, said many oral cancer patients mistake oral cancer for periodontal disease or ordinary mouth ulcers, and as a result, miss the best time for treatment.  He said patients should seek medical treatment if their oral wounds have failed to heal after more than two to three weeks.