Woman's warning after being diagnosed with cancer seen as 'an old man's disease'

08 November 2023 , 23:18

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Andrea Fleming has asked the public not to ignore the symptoms of mouth cancer (Image: Submitted)

A woman has issued a warning after she was diagnosed with a type of cancer seen as “an old man’s disease”.

Andrea Fleming, from west Belfast, went to the dentist last year, complaining of a toothache. She said that she’d always suffered from abscesses - and her parents and brother had also suffered “tooth problems” as well.

Andrea was referred to the Head and Neck team at the Ulster Hospital. Then, just before Christmas last year she was diagnosed with mouth cancer. Recent months have seen her undergo various treatments, including a major surgery and radiotherapy.

The 49-year-old told BelfastLive the lengthy journey she’s undergone, and how she considers herself “lucky” to still be here. She said: "I've always had trouble with abscesses and my parents and brother also had tooth problems down the years. I went to my dentist around eight months before I was referred to the Head and Neck team at the Ulster Hospital. In February of this year, I learned the severity of it all and that it was cancer.

Anna since raised £6,000 at a Macmillan Coffee Morning (Submitted)

"I had surgery in May which didn't go as planned and a 10 day stay ended up being seven weeks. It was discovered that the cancer had spread into my jaw so I had to have my lower jaw removed and rebuilt with a metal plate and bone from my lower leg. That operation was over 14 hours and involved building up the floor under the tongue called a flap. But 10 days later that failed and I was rushed back into surgery for another long operation lasting 10 hours.

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"The surgeon said it was a miracle that he got my jaw working again as it was unprecedented that the flap failed after so long. Usually by day 10 you're getting discharged but unfortunately I was one of the unlucky ones. After that I had seven weeks of radiotherapy every day at the Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital.

"Three weeks ago, I took an infection in my neck so now I'm on IV antibiotics for a few weeks. But I'm lucky that I'm still here and still fighting as I wait for results to see if they've got all the cancer."

November is Mouth Cancer Awareness month and each year in Northern Ireland alone, where Andrea’s from, approximately 200 patients are diagnosed with mouth cancer. Dentists are trained to screen for signs of mouth cancer and will do this as part of routine check-ups. Therefore, it is beneficial to attend dental appointments regularly, as this can help with early detection of mouth cancer.

As well as attending your dentist, it is recommended that you look for mouth cancer. Self-examination is simple and potentially life-saving.

Symptoms to look out for:

• Mouth ulcers which do not heal within three weeks
• Red and white patches in the mouth
• Unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth or neck area

If you are concerned about any of the symptoms listed, please contact your dentist or GP.

Andrea added: "You know yourself if there's something not right and when I went to my dentist the last time I said that the pain felt deeper than when I had abscesses. They couldn't see anything but persistence pays off so if it doesn't feel right then don't hesitate to ask for a second or third opinion.

"Mouth cancer is regarded as an old man's cancer and affects those who smoked. I never smoked but I've since met a couple of ladies with the same type of cancer as me who are in the same boat."

As a thank you for the support she's received to date, Andrea recently organised a Macmillan Coffee Morning that raised an astonishing £6,000. Over 100 people attended the event in Andrea's home with donations received from as far afield as America.

Thanking Andrea for her generous donation, Macmillan Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist, Catherine Crymble, added: "Seeing Andrea and other patients overcome many obstacles during their journey continually inspires our team both personally and professionally. Andrea's donation will make a huge difference to both Cancer Services in the South Eastern Trust and to Macmillan Cancer Support. It will help improve services for patients and will help further staff education. By keeping ourselves aware of the most up-to-date research and education we hope to ultimately improve the experience of care for our patients."

Lauren Harte