Symptoms

Main symptoms of mouth cancer

Symptoms of mouth cancer can affect any part of your mouth including the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks, or lips.

Symptoms can include:

a mouth ulcer in your mouth that lasts more than 3 weeks
a red or white patch inside your mouth
a lump inside your mouth or on your lip
pain inside your mouth
difficulty swallowing
difficulty speaking or a hoarse (croaky) voice
a lump in your neck or throat
losing weight without trying

See a GP if:

you have an mouth ulcer that has lasted more than 3 weeks
you have a lump in your mouth, on your lip, on your neck or in your throat
you have a red or white patch in your mouth
you have pain in your mouth that's not going away
you're having difficulty swallowing or speaking
you have a hoarse (croaky) voice that does not go away

A dentist can also help with ulcers, lumps, patches or pain in your mouth.

Important

These symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions.

Having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have mouth cancer, but it's important to get checked by a GP or dentist.

If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.

What happens at your dentist or GP appointment

Your dentist or GP will usually ask questions about your symptoms, lifestyle and any other medical conditions you have.

They will usually look and feel inside your mouth. They may also feel your neck and jaw.

You can ask for someone else to be in the room with you while the dentist or GP examines you.

Referral to a specialist

You may get an urgent referral for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital if the GP thinks you have symptoms that could be cancer. This does not definitely mean you have cancer.

Find out more

Cancer Research UK: seeing your GP when you have symptoms of mouth cancer

Information for other parts of the UK

The following links have information about mouth cancer for other parts of the UK:

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