Mouth, head and neck cancer

The symptoms of mouth, head and neck cancers depend on where the tumour is. Some common symptoms include:

• A sore or ulcer that does not heal – longer than 3 weeks
• A swelling or lump in your mouth or neck
• White or red patches in the lining of your mouth or on your tongue that don’t go away within 3 weeks
• Difficulty or pain on chewing and swallowing
• Sore throat or difficulty speaking
• Hoarseness
• Unexplained pain in your face, jaw or throat
• Numbness in your jaw, face and mouth for no known reason
• Unexplained loose tooth/teeth
• Earache, ringing in the ear or hearing problems
• Blocked or bleeding nose
• Changes in your breathing at rest

Testing for cancer when you have no symptoms is called screening. There is no national screening programme for mouth, head and neck cancer in Ireland. 

Most dentists will check your mouth for unusual changes when you go for a check-up. 

If you’re worried about mouth head and neck cancer, go to your GP or dentist.