Hello, I'm new here and I hope you don't mind me joining, because I don't even know whether I have cancer or not yet.

I saw the dentist last Tuesday and she was worried about a mark at the back of my mouth, and has referred me to an oral pathologist. I'm hoping that it will turn out to be nothing, but I have to admit that the inside of my mouth does not look normal, and I'm aware that I have a whole bunch of risk factors.

The thing is that I'm living in Alberta, Canada. I had difficulty finding an oral pathologist here who could see me quickly, so I'm seeing a dental surgeon next week who can do a biopsy if necessary. It's difficult to get an initial diagnosis here, but I've been assured that once there is a diagnosis things move quickly. I'm not sure what that means in practice though.

When I was having difficulty finding a specialist who could diagnose I thought of returning to the UK and that would be an option for me because I have family and own a house there. I'd like to know if there are any significant delays in treatment in the UK, or if there are any medications not available on the NHS, and that kind of thing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Vinod K Joshi,

Hello Janein

If your doctor or dentist suspects a cancer, you should be fast-tracked and seen within 2 weeks. Then investigations and a biopsy get done within the next 2 weeks.

quote:

The Cancer Plan states that the government believes the ultimate goal should be to "offer patients a maximum one month wait from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment. Where patients wait longer, this should be because of the needs of the diagnostic process or their personal choice, not because of in-built delays in the system of care." "we hope to acheive this goal by 2008"
Ref: Cancer Waiting Times Statistics

Hope that helps.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank-you very much for the information. It's very helpful.

Janein,

The Canadian Cancer Society should be of great help to you now. Perhaps Alberta isn't the best place in Canada to get diagnosis/treatment (I'm not familiar with the availability of medical professionals, hospitals, cancer centers and differences in each province) but the CCS should be able to advise you. You've got world class medical treatment in Canada and although there might be a slight delay now, I don't think I'd give it up so readily. I can't imagine that anything in Vancouver or Toronto would be sub-standard. (Again, I'm not knowledgeable about other cancer centers in Canada.)

There are some differences in what the British NHS allows and what the Canadian NHS pays for - from what I've read, you're probably better off in Canada. You have some rights as far as your health insurance goes - CCS can help you with that too.

Best of luck to you. This isn't fun stuff.

Mimi

P.S. My Dad was born in Alberta, raised in B.C. I have an affiliation with you and wish you well.

I saw an oral surgeon here in Canada this morning.

He did not tell me what I wanted to hear, which is that the thing at the back of my mouth is an amalgam tattoo, but he was very reassuring. He is going to remove the 'mole' on 24th November. That seems a long time to wait.

I'm hoping I'm doing the right thing staying in Canada rather than going home.

I'm trying not to scare myself too much, but I can't resist doing some internet research. As far as I can tell, what I've got - a black mole in my mouth- is rather unusual, particularly for a caucasian like me. I get a lot of moles on my skin and some have had to be removed. None have been cancerous, so I'm hoping it will be the same with this one. However, my dad was the same and he did get a cancerous one on his eyelid eventually. That melanoma was cured very easily, but from what I've read it is really bad news to get a melanoma in your mouth. The survival rate is very low.

Hi again. Just to say that the 'mole' in my mouth turned out to be an amalgam tattoo after all, even though the surgeon had been so certain it wasn't.

Big relief.

Thank-you for the help and assistance I've had from this site.

hi janein
i am happy that it turned out to be nothing,i have to admit to have never heard of a amalgam tattoo and had to google the image.it just goes to show you learn something new everyday as they say.regards shirl xxx