Further tests for mouth cancer

Further tests help to find the size of the cancer and check whether it has spread. This helps your doctor to decide on the treatment you need. The most common place for mouth or oropharyngeal cancers to spread is to the lymph nodes in the neck. Tissue fluid circulates around the body organs, drains into lymph vessels and is carried to the lymph nodes. If any cancer cells have broken away, they can be carried in tissue fluid to the lymph nodes nearby.

You need to have a routine chest X-ray if you are going to have surgery under general anaesthetic. But your doctor may also take a chest X-ray to check whether the cancer has spread to the lungs. This is very unlikely unless your cancer is in the advanced stages.

A CT scan is a computerised scan using a series of X-rays to build up a 3 dimensional picture of an area of the body. You may have a CT scan of your head and neck, your chest or your abdomen. The head and neck CT will show the size of the cancer and any enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. A chest and abdominal CT may show other signs of cancer spread. There is information about having a CT scan in the cancer tests section.

You may have an MRI scan. This type of scan uses magnetism to build up a picture. Soft tissue shows up more clearly on this scan than on a CT scan. It is a very useful test for mouth and oropharyngeal cancers. There is information about having an MRI scan in the CancerHelp UK cancer tests section.

You may have this scan to look at the lymph nodes in your neck. This scan uses sound waves to create pictures of your body. There is more about having an ultrasound scan in the CancerHelp UK cancer tests section.

This type of X-ray takes pictures of the area around the upper jawbone (maxilla) and lower jawbone (mandible). It can pick up any signs of cancer in and around these bones. Your doctor may call this test a Panorex scan.

A PET-CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan into one scan. A CT scan takes pictures from all around your body and uses a computer to put them together. A PET scan uses a very small amount of an injected radioactive drug to show structures in the body. You may have this test if cancer cells have been found in the lymph glands in your neck but your doctor doesn't know which part of the mouth or oropharynx they have come from. A PET-CT scan can sometimes help to show a cancer that other scans have not been able to find. There is detailed information about having a PET-CT scan in the cancer tests section.

A barium swallow is a type of X-ray investigation. This is not a very common test but you may have it if you are having difficulty swallowing solid food. It helps the doctor investigate the area around the voice box (larynx) and the top of the food pipe (oesophagus).

You swallow a liquid that contains barium. Barium shows up the outline of the inside of the digestive system very clearly on X-ray. You have a series of X-rays as the barium passes through. Any abnormal growth will show up on the X-ray. There is information about having a barium swallow in the CancerHelp UK cancer tests section.

After your tests you will probably feel anxious when you are waiting for the results. The results may take a little time, although sometimes only a week or so. When your test results have come through, your specialist will ask you to go back to the hospital to discuss them. You and your specialist will then decide on a course of treatment.

While you are waiting for results, it may help to talk to a close friend or relative about how you feel. Or you may want to contact a cancer support group to talk to someone who has been through a similar experience. Look at the mouth cancer organisations list for details of people who can support you. They can also give information about support groups or counselling services near you.