How Do You Diagnose Oropharyngeal Cancer?
First, your dentist or dental hygienist will perform an oral cancer screening to check your mouth for signs of cancer. They will look for any abnormalities or lumps that could be cancerous. If they find anything, they will do further testing.
Your oral care provider may use a procedure called an oral brush biopsy to check suspicious tissues for the presence of cancer cells. During the biopsy, your dentist collects the suspicious cells with a small brush and sends them to be analyzed in a laboratory. If the oral brush biopsy finds malignant activity, you will be referred to an oral surgeon or ear, nose, and throat doctor for further testing. This testing may include an endoscopy, where the specialist inserts a flexible, optical tube through your nasal cavity to get a clear view of your throat.
A specialist who finds suspicious tissue during the endoscopy may then perform a traditional biopsy, during which a small amount of tissue is drawn from your mouth and examined under a microscope. If it confirms cancer's presence, you may need to undergo more testing to help stage cancer. This testing often includes a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound.