Case Studies

Members of the press wishing to arrange interviews with  mouth cancer sufferers, please contact the Foundation at pr@dentalhealth.org or call our press  team on 01788 539 792.

Keith Hern

As part of Mouth Cancer Action Month, the British Dental Health Foundation is telling the story of mouth cancer survivors across the country. Keith Hern, a keen photographer, fell victim to the disease in 2007 and took time out to speak to the Foundation about his experience.

“I have such a vivid recollection of the day I found out”, Keith said. “It was the last Friday in May when I received the phone call that changed my life. When you’re told ‘you have cancer’, I defy anyone not to have pure naked fear running through their emotions.”

Diagnosed with a lump in the side of his neck, Keith lived a lifestyle that would put him in the ‘risk’ category. Although Keith kept himself fit, he was a regular smoker for 24 years, drank alcohol regularly and was not very careful about his diet. All of these factors are known to contribute towards increasing the risk of mouth cancer.

Keith was first alerted to the possibility that something wasn’t quite right after a conversation in the kitchen drew his attention to his neck. It turned out to be the catalyst for life-saving treatment.

He said: ‘My wife and I were in the kitchen chatting away when for no apparent reason I touched the side of my neck only to feel the smallest of lumps. I didn’t think anything of it but my wife suggested it would sensible to get it checked out. I had always been a very fit and healthy person. The last time I’d taken any time off work prior to this was in 1983 when I had Tonsillitis, so as you can imagine, being told I had cancer came as quite a shock.” That small lump, it transpired, was the secondary tumour.

One of the lasting memories Keith described was the uncertainty. He told of how Doctors kept him very well informed of the treatment and the need for surgery, radiotherapy and, in his case, intense Chemotherapy. Yet his journey to recovery was an unknown. However, Keith’s love for photography led him to document his treatment in a very unique way.

Keith explained: “I knew I was going to have my throat poisoned and burned for the next six months, and that the radiotherapy would dry out my saliva producing gland therefore making it impossible for me to eat. Sure enough I lost my appetite and the ability to taste, and because all I could consume was liquids, plus having to sip water all day everyday due to the dry mouth I no longer slept properly so tired out very quickly.  I knew all of this was going to happen, so I chose to have photographs taken along the way. Some people find solace in writing and keeping a diary of what they’re going through, but I wanted to see what was going on so photographed the treatment as well as keeping a diary. Looking back, I cannot imagine the horror my family went through.”

After the radiotherapy finished, and having not been able to eat for six weeks, I was in the pub with a couple of friends who’d helped me set up my photo exhibition. I ordered the usual mineral water and soup, but for the first time felt like trying some ‘real food’ so asked if I could try some of theirs. “My first mouthful of real food was Bangers and Mash. It didn’t go down too well, but I managed it. That was the point I knew I was on the road to recovery. It was a small change, but with major significance as it was the first sign I was on the up, and what a fantastic feeling that was. This was the incident  I used to start the book, which by now I was convinced could be of help to other people suffering with head or neck cancer, or in fact any cancer as the mental effect of diagnosis is the same regardless of the type of cancer.”

‘Bangers and Mash’ and the presentation version ‘Out of Adversity’ tells the story of Keith’s journey to recovery. From tales of warmth and adversity, to the hardest times of the treatment his book is designed to help others going through the same ordeal remain strong and tackle cancer head on.  It even shows the importance of those rare humorous events in the process. Since going on sale in 2009, Keith hopes to have made a difference to those who find themselves in the same situation as him. Indeed judging by the testimonials his book has received it seems many readers have found the book very useful.

“My advice to everyone is to watch your lifestyle, remain positive and mentally strong through the experience, and probably most importantly, live for today, as you don’t know what tomorrow will bring you.”

Keith’s book Bangers and Mash can be purchased online and signed copies can be ordered via www.throatcancersurvivor.co.uk and www.keithhern.com/books/ .

"From the moment I was diagnosed, I knew my life would change forever. I’ve been fortunate to be given another chance in life, and I’m determined to take it."

Sally Bragg has a very different perception of life after being diagnosed with cancer of the cheek in 1998. At the time, Sally had never heard of mouth cancer. For someone who didn’t smoke, exercised regularly, had a fantastic diet, had regular dental check-ups and only enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, Sally’s experience at the age of 37 provides a harrowing reminder that mouth cancer can affect anyone.

“There’s a culture within society that’s crept in today where people think it won’t happen to them”, Sally said. “If anything, I’m a prime example of how that simply is not the case. When I was told I had cancer, you could have knocked me down with a feather. You just can’t help but be petrified when someone tells you that you have cancer.”

Sally, a Rugby Borough Councillor, initially had an ulcer that wouldn’t go away. Having paid a visit to the dentist and the doctors to get their qualified opinion, both said it was nothing to worry about. Having got the all-clear from them, she went on holiday, but the ulcer did not heal.  She recalls: “I just wasn’t happy. I knew I had to persist, and it was probably that persistence that led to the dentist finally referring me to a specialist that saved my life.”

Sally was diagnosed on 31 July 1998 and remembers vividly the ensuing ‘madness’ that followed between that date and when she was scheduled for treatment at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham three weeks later.

“Those three weeks were absolutely terrifying and manic in the same breath. I had to make arrangements to ensure my six year old son could live his life normally, as well as the very sobering task of making a will. Without the support of my friends and family, particularly my husband, I don’t know how I could have coped.”

After a 10-hour operation which involved having her lower back teeth removed, part of  her jawbone sawed away, an artery from her arm implanted in her face, skin from her stomach grafted on her arm and the whole tumour on her cheek removed, Sally couldn’t muster the courage to look at herself in the mirror. A four week course of radiotherapy ensued, although this was merely her ‘insurance policy’, her specialist had told her.

“From the beginning of the treatment I never really knew what was around the corner”, she said. “It was almost as if I had been drip fed the information. I made an early decision that I wanted the more radical surgery that could give me a better chance of seeing my little boy grow up. I had to rely on my support around me to take me back and forth from Birmingham every day, and to this day I cannot express how important that was for me.

“I had to remain as positive and as strong as I possibly could, but I also knew when I had to rest. For anyone going through an ordeal like I did, or have done so in the past, then you will know who your true friends are and the value of the support around you.”

In Sally’s case, early detection saved her life. Although she hasn’t been given the all-clear, Sally hopes she can put this journey behind her and has fully recovered. With a new-found vigour for living for today and embracing tomorrow, Sally is fully enjoying life. “I’ll never forget the pain I went through”, she said. “However, life is too short to deal with superficial problems. I’ve been given another chance, and I fully intend to make the most of it.”

Toni Richardson

As part of Mouth Cancer Action Month, the British Dental Health Foundation is telling the story of mouth cancer survivors across the country. Toni Richardson, 67 , spoke to the Foundation about her battle against mouth cancer.

“It was 1989 when I was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue”, Toni told us. “It was another piece of bad news for me, as I’d already had a tumour removed from my throat some years before. It doesn’t matter how many times someone tells you that you have cancer, the feeling of anguish and pain doesn’t change.”

Having fought mouth cancer for more than 20 years, Toni’s story is even more remarkable given the trials and tribulations she endured in the aftermath. Although she was a smoker and an occasional drinker, Toni never considered the effect her lifestyle could have on her oral health.

“At the time we knew what drinking and smoking could do to you, but for me mouth cancer wasn’t one of those things. Awareness of the disease is much higher now that it was then, yet in my opinion there’s a complacency that’s developed. People have such a terrible attitude now. They believe that if they don’t smoke or if they don’t drink then they’re not at risk, and that is wrong.”

Toni’s treatment involved having her face peeled back and re-building her lower mandible using bone from her leg.  Matters were made worse when she contracted MSRA. Whichever way you look at it, Toni’s experience is one to make all of us sit up and take note and she is keen to remind everyone about the impact mouth cancer.

“Mouth Cancer is visual.  You can’t hide it.  It affects your face for everyone to see. People stare and it is not a nice feeling.  Strangely, I think it’s even more difficult for family and friends who get angry at the way some people look at me.”

The road to recovery can also be long. “I remember visiting the dentist after I’d had the tumour removed from my throat as I’d had a loose tooth for a while. It had been hurting for a little while, but I just thought it was remembered pain, yet my dentist said it had been a year and it had cut my tongue.

“After that there were frequent checkups and the inevitable radiotherapy sessions. I’ve had so many operations over a long period of time I knew staff in hospitals very well. I can remember everything like it was yesterday.”

 Toni’s determination to overcome her tongue cancer is clearly evident. Having befriended everyone who was involved in her treatment, they also saw how she wanted to defy the odds.

“When I was told I had cancer, I saw it rather differently than I guess some other people would do”, Toni explained. “If you look at the phrase ‘I have cancer’, take the word have and the letters ‘cer’ away, then you’re left with I can. Being told that bad news isn’t a death sentence. It gives you the chance to battle it and come out the other side fit and healthy.

“Too often I see messages that lead to complacency when it comes to mouth cancer. Smoking, drinking and combining the two really is a bad idea, and if you think you are safe because you don’t do one of the two you are wrong. Mouth cancer doesn’t have a preference. It can strike anyone.”

John Spencer  

"Just before my 68th birthday in 2004 I noticed a small mouth ulcer between the gum and cheek on the right side. This was no worry, ulcers clear up in a short while and this would be no exception and, anyway, it was hardly noticeable. After a while I had to admit that it did seem more persistent than previous ulcers and did not respond to "over the counter" remedies so I decided that unless there was a significant improvement by next Monday I would see the doctor. Monday came, something cropped up and Monday went and several more Mondays too.....but it was only a mouth ulcer so there was no hurry was there??? Subsequent events were to prove how wrong I was.

When I did see the doctor he referred me to a dentist who, in turn, referred me to the maxillofacial unit at Pinderfields Wakefield, this is when the pace quickened culminating in surgery at Leeds General to remove the lymph nodes from the right side of the neck and a substantial part of the lower jaw bone .The latter was rebuilt using titanium plate and bone and tissue from the left arm. The arm was repaired with more titanium plate.

Twelve hours in theatre, thirty six hours in intensive care , two weeks in hospital, six months convalescence and a further six months to regain some semblance of normality.

A while later a second tumour appeared, this was dealt with in the short term and required one hour in theatre, I was home the next day and pottering about the garden by the end of the week.

These two events, at opposite ends of the scale, illustrate the importance of prompt attention; delay is cancer's best friend and the patients worst enemy. Mouth cancer survival rates stand at a little less than 50%; delay accounts for a significant proportion of the 50% who do not make it.

I now lead a near normal life for seventy four year old, adjustments have been necessary but seventy four years of wear and tear would probably have necessitated many of these anyway.

I received a great deal of help and support from my wife and family and also from the Mouth Cancer Foundation, an organisation dedicated to awareness and help for patients and carers alike. I remain an active member of the foundation more than six years down line.

The best advice I can offer is: if something unusual appears in the mouth and does not clear in three weeks, either on its own or with over the counter medication, see your dentist or doctor without delay."