Mouth Cancer Diagnosis

Diagnosis is our first step in creating an appropriate care plan for you.

We have the equipment in our office to perform biopsies of the skin and mouth. Our expert head and neck cancer pathologists interpret tests and examine tissue. Results are often available the day of your visit.

Some of the tests we provide include:

Physical exam: First, we’ll do a physical exam of your mouth and lips and assess your overall healthy and health history.

Endoscopy: A thin tube is inserted into the body to check for signs of disease. Providers may also use an endoscope to collect small tissue samples.

Biopsy: We may collect small samples of tissue or cells. Pathologists view these samples under a microscope to look for signs of cancerous cells.

Exfoliative cytology: During this simple, painless procedure, the provider scrapes a small amount of cells from the mouth or lips. We’ll view the sample under a microscope to look for cancerous cells.

Imaging: Tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT and PET scans can detect tumors.