A woman whose tongue had to be reconstructed with a piece of her leg because of mouth cancer is urging people to check for the warning signs.
Candi Hulley, 52, from Bude, Cornwall, said a chance check-up at her dentist had led to her diagnosis.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation charity said more than 3,000 people died of mouth cancer last year nationally – a 20% rise over the past five years.
It said it wanted the public to know it was not just dentists who could check for mouth cancer and « if you’re unsure, go and see your doctor, or a pharmacist ».
« My children call this my shark bite, » Ms Hulley said as she displayed the back of her calf where surgeons removed veins and an artery to reconstruct nearly half of her tongue.
It took a team more than 12 hours to remove the tumour from her mouth to ensure she would be able to eat, speak and swallow again.
She said: « The plastic surgeon described it as like magic… I’ve had a few operations but that was pretty much the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. »
Now she said she was urging people to check themselves for the warning signs.
She said: « I was lucky, it would have spread if it hadn’t been monitored ».
Ms Hulley said the recovery had been almost as intensive as the surgery, with a month spent in hospital and another six months before she could return to work.
She said: « I had speech therapists and nutritionists because I was on a feeding tube for so long – I lost loads of weight.
« Then you have to try and eat. That’s scary, you can choke. »
The Mouth Cancer Foundation said it believed awareness around the disease was low.
« We have figures that suggest only about 17% of the UK population is aware of mouth cancer, » said dental hygienist Alison Brown from the charity.
« And it [treatment and recovery] can be particularly unpleasant – it can involve dissection of the tongue, people lose teeth, they have to learn to speak and eat again. »
Dental students in the south-west of England are among those being taught to check for the signs of mouth cancer.
Fourth-year student Isabelle Adams, who is studying at the Peninsula Dental School in Truro, said such teaching was « so important ».
She said: « When we’re practising dentists, we’re able to spot cancers early, and educate our patients so that they know when to spot when something’s not normal. »
According to the NHS, symptoms of mouth cancer can affect any parts of your mouth, including the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks or lips.
Symptoms can include:
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