LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — New data from the American Cancer Society indicates a rise in oral cancer diagnoses in Arkansas and the nation. However, one local woman is sharing the story of her journey through cancer treatment to help others.
Ann Gibbs and her husband Matt have become familiar with the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in Little Rock since she began receiving treatment for tongue cancer under the care of Dr. Mauricio Moreno, an otolaryngologist and surgeon who specializes in tough cases like Ann’s.
As with many people who develop tongue cancer, Ann noticed what felt and looked like a canker sore in her mouth in October 2015. She recalled that she couldn’t understand why the sore wasn’t getting better.
“I just kept waiting and kept waiting and kept waiting, because I didn't want to go. I didn't want to know, actually. After a couple of weeks, it didn't go away and it just started getting a weird shape, and it was really hard," she explained.
At her husband’s urging, Ann finally went to her primary care provider, who saw the sore and advised her to have it biopsied as soon as possible.
Ann recalls the day she received the biopsy results in a phone call.
“She said, 'You have squamous cell carcinoma'. And I was like, okay, explain to me what that is. And she said, 'Well, it's kind of like skin cancer but it's on your tongue”," she said.
Ann was alone in her car when she heard the news.
“I remember I was sitting in the parking lot at Dollar Tree, and I got the phone call. It was devastating. I called my best friend, I called my husband, I was just bawling my eyes out," she added.
However, Dr. Moreno and his team specialize in the delicate procedure known as reconstructive flap replacement and developed a plan for a day-long surgery.
During the procedure, he would remove the cancer and part of Ann’s tongue before carefully rebuilding a replacement using skin from her leg and arm.
“The cancer was advanced enough that the procedure she required was fairly extensive," he explained.
Dr. Moreno added that while mouth cancer is more prevalent in smokers or people who drink large amounts of alcohol, Ann didn't do either.
Since oral cancers are hard to detect, even those who work in the medical field often consider other illnesses before they think of the mouth.
“Unfortunately, what I see is that this cancer is not very high in the minds of even some healthcare providers. So, very commonly in my practice, patients have been through multiple courses of antibiotics thinking it's an infection, and it really delays the diagnosis," Dr. Moreno described.
Those delays often make early detection harder. By the time Ann met Dr. Moreno, her tongue cancer was classified as stage three. Now, eight years later, Ann is doing so well that she’s considered cured of her cancer.
She said that now she spreads the word about mouth screenings whenever she can. Her goal is to show others that a diagnosis of oral cavity cancer does not mean you cannot live a full and happy life.
While these rare cancers do happen, with the right care and treatment, life can begin, again. Ann urges anyone with an unusual mouth issue to have it checked out right away.
“I would say, if you have any kind of sore in your mouth, anything odd, go get it done because it could mean the difference between life and death," she said.
According to Dr. Moreno, Arkansas has higher rates of mouth cancers than the national average due to higher numbers of people who smoke. Tobacco, whether smoked or in chewing form, raises a person’s risk of oral cancer.
High alcohol consumption is another potential cause but in cases like Ann’s, who neither smokes nor drinks, what looks like a routine sore needs to be checked out if it fails to heal.
You can be screened for oral cancer at UAMS without a referral from a doctor.