☰

The link between

common skin cancer and
oral cancer, health
experts explain
By Melissa Wilson | Published May 31 | FOX 26 Houston

Lunch for the Soul

HOUSTON - Squamous cell carcinoma is

known as common skin cancer, but did you
know it can also happen in your mouth?

SEE ALSO: Woman shares skin cancer

warning signs after undergoing extensive
plastic surgery

Squamous cells are not only on the skin, but

also on the mucous membranes, or moist
tissue that lines body cavities, like airways and
intestines. The American Cancer Society
reports 54,000 people are diagnosed with oral
cancer every year in the U.S.

Know the warning signs of oral

cancer

Know the warning signs of oral cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma is known as a common skin cancer,
but did you know it can also happen in your mouth?

Linda and Larry Pellerito are teaming up with

her doctor from UTHealth to spread the
message about the warning signs after she got
the shocking diagnosis and underwent
treatment last Fall.

"It was causing discomfort on the side of my

tongue. I didn't think too much of it" explains
Linda. "I thought I might have bitten the side of
my tongue, or maybe it was the salt on a chip.
It happened occasionally but pretty soon, it
started happening more often and then it was
consistently happening. I took a look at my
tongue and saw the white spot."

RELATED: Easy test for oral cancer

Linda says she wasn't sure what to do, but

scheduled an appointment at her dentist's
office to question it. Her dentist suggested an
oral cancer screening and that's what led to her
diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma on her
tongue.

Dr. James Melville is her oral and maxillofacial

surgeon from UTHealth Houston School of
Dentistry. He says she didn't have the typical
lifestyle or risk factors, like smoking and
drinking alcohol, or genetics.

"The main things that you would look for is a

white spot that continues to get bigger, an
ulceration like a canker sore that doesn't go
away," he explains. "A stinging sensation, or
red, or anything that looks red or angry and
that's not going away within a reasonable
timeframe within two weeks or so."

Skin cancer vaccine shows

promise in trials

Skin cancer vaccine shows promise in trials

One in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in
their lifetime. But there's promising news in the fight against
melanoma.

Linda wants you to know that early detection is

the key to saving the tongue and jaw,
preserving feelings in the mouth and taste, plus
preventing it from spreading to other body
parts.

"I'm proud of Linda!" exclaims her husband,

Larry. "She's a very private person, and almost
from the very beginning, from day one, she was
shouting this from the mountain tops, because
she felt like, and it's true, people need to know,
and make sure their dentist is looking for these
things."

Linda had to undergo about a two-and-a-half

hour surgery, but many patients require twelve
hours of surgery for more advanced diseases in
the mouth. She's relieved she caught it early
enough to avoid chemotherapy and radiation.

MORE STORIES RELATED TO CANCER

However, the recovery time was still

challenging.

"In this case, we actually skin grafted that

tongue region, so really like a burn victim, we
took a portion of skin from her thigh, placed it
onto her tongue region," explains Dr.
Melville. "She had an uncomfortable bolster,
which is like this bandaging agent in her mouth
for about two weeks. That just kind of kept her
very uncomfortable."

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP

Linda's tongue was suspended outside of her

mouth, so she relied on a liquid diet for a few
weeks.

"I couldn't talk, so every time I needed to tell

Larry something, I'd write notes, and that's
because of the bolster to help with the healing
process, so when that came out two weeks
later, things started to improve, and it has been
a steady acceleration of improvement,"
exclaims Linda. "You just don't realize how
much you use your tongue, until you can't use
it! I've had to adapt a little bit, but it gets better
every day."

MORE STORIES BY MELISSA WILSON

"She's done a great job," says her loving

husband.

Linda's medical team has given her the gift of a

great prognosis and her only physical therapy is
the natural process of speaking and eating.

For additional information on oral cancer, click

here.

Watch Live News

Newscasts & Local
Replays Texas
LiveNOW from National
FOX World
YouTube You Decide
FOX Soul Money
The Defender
Network Top 3
Takeaways
FOX News
Sunday

Regional Morning
News News
Dallas News - FOX Family
FOX 4 News Feast
Austin News - Making the
FOX 7 Austin Grade
Finding Families
Dr. Viviana Coles
Healthworks
Your Legal
Questions
Pets

Weather Sports
Live Radar Texans
Tropical Weather Rockets
Houston Heat Astros
Wave Gamblers
JD's Hurricane Dynamo
Gear Test Dash
Mondays with Friday Football
Mike Fever
ERCOT News Player of the
Traffic Week
Weather App World Cup
Pump Patrol Mark Berman
FOX Weather Farewell

FOX 26 FOX 26
Shows Originals
Isiah Factor Breaking Bond
Uncensored FOX 26 Crime
The Nightcap Files
The News Edge FOX 26 in Focus
What's Your FOX Faceoff
Point? Sullivan's Smart
Texas: The Issue Sense
Is The Missing
Bayou City Buzz Parent to Parent
The First 15 Foodies and
Friends
Pet Pawcast
Lunch for the
Soul
The Bike Lane

TELL 26 Entertainment
The Drop
Backstage OL
The Backstage
Experience
FOX PRIMETIME
SHOWS
Contests

About Us Contact Us
Meet the FOX 26
Team
Email Newsletter
Jobs at FOX 26
& My20
Internship
Opportunities
Mobile App
What's On FOX
Contests
KRIV/KTXH FCC
Public File
Closed
Captioning
FCC
Applications

FacebookTwtier Instagram

New Privacy Policy

Terms of Service
Your Privacy Choices
KRIV/KTXH FCC Public File EEO Public File
Closed Captioning About Us
Jobs at FOX 26 & My20 Contact Us
This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten, or redistributed. ©2020 FOX Television
Stations