Clear diagnosis before major decisions
Surgery is not the opening move unless the situation is already clear. Tissue diagnosis and, when needed, imaging come first.
Cancer care
Cancer care, without hurry.
Fellowship training in head and neck oncology at CNCI, Kolkata, sits at the centre of this practice. The aim is a careful opinion, a plan you can follow, and treatment that respects both the disease and the person living with it.
You are allowed to come early.
Many people wait because they are afraid of the word cancer, or because there is little pain. Oral cancers are often noticed first as a quiet change — a patch, a thickening, a sore that stays. Coming for a look is not the same as receiving a diagnosis. It is the safest way to know where you stand.
If a dentist, ENT colleague, or physician has already raised a concern, bring their note and any reports. If you are coming on your own, a simple description is enough.
Screening
What an oral cancer screening involves.
It is an examination, not a lecture. You can ask to stop at any point. A relative may sit with you.
01
Listening first
How long a sore or patch has been there, whether it bleeds, and any tobacco, areca nut, or alcohol use. Pain is not required for a finding to matter.
02
A full look at the mouth and neck
Lips, cheeks, tongue (including underneath), floor of the mouth, palate, gums, and the lymph nodes in the neck. A torch and gloved hands — not a machine — do most of the work.
03
What happens next
Many visits end with reassurance and a date to return. If a patch or lump needs a closer look, a small biopsy or a scan may be advised. You will leave knowing why.
When to be seen
Changes that deserve a specialist look.
- A mouth ulcer that has not healed in two weeks
- A white, red, or mixed patch on the lining of the mouth
- A lump in the neck, cheek, or under the jaw
- Difficulty opening the mouth, chewing, or swallowing
- A tooth that loosens without a clear gum cause
- Numbness of the lip or chin, or unexplained bleeding
Treatment approach
How care is planned if something is found.
Surgery planned with recovery in mind
When an operation is the right step, the conversation includes how speech, chewing, and appearance will be looked after — not only what will be removed.
Hospital teams when needed
Head and neck cancer often involves more than one specialist. Care can be coordinated with oncology colleagues at a hospital centre.
Pain and comfort are part of treatment
Ulcers, after-effects of surgery, and tumour-related pain are treated as seriously as the disease itself.
Tumours, cysts, and pain.
Not every growth is cancer. Jaw cysts and other tumours still need a name and a plan, so they are not left to enlarge in silence. If pain is already part of your days — from an ulcer, a tumour, or after an operation — that is treated as a problem in its own right.
Questions people ask
A few points before you book.
Only if the examination suggests it will change the next step. Many screenings do not. If a biopsy is advised, you will hear what it involves and when results are expected, before anything is done.