"Head and neck cancers touch how you speak, eat, swallow, and look. So my job is to remove the cancer fully and, at the same time, protect speech and swallowing as much as the cancer allows."
— Dr. Sandeep Vajja
When someone comes to me with a mouth ulcer or a white or red patch that has not healed in two weeks, I do not just reassure them and send them away. I examine it, and if it looks at all suspicious I take a biopsy, especially in people who use tobacco, gutka, or areca nut. In our region those habits are the reason these cancers are so common, and an ulcer that will not heal is the early sign we should never ignore.
A firm, painless neck lump that has been there for more than two or three weeks needs evaluation, not another course of antibiotics. I assess it with an examination and a scan, and a needle test where needed, before deciding anything. Where surgery is the right step, I plan it around protecting speech and swallowing, and I coordinate radiation or chemotherapy with the rest of the team when the case needs more than surgery.