A 78-year-old man got the shock of his life when he went to a dentist for his toothache. After analysing his condition, the doctor decided to remove his tooth and sent him home.
However, after the procedure, the man’s jaw began to swell. Following the swelling and pain, the man went back to the dentist for another check-up. After looking at his condition, the doctor decided to conducted a CT scan and saw a lesion in his jaw.
After some more tests, the man was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctor found that it was metastatic prostate cancer, a condition where prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body. “Prostate cancer, like many other cancers, can metastasise to the jaw,” Dr Andrej Bozic, an oral surgeon told The Sun.
According to the doctor, the jawbone has a rich blood supply and active bone marrow and it often becomes common for metastatic cancer cells to settle and grow there.
Although metastatic prostate cancer is relatively rare in the jaw. However, when it does occur, it means that the cancer has spread widely. Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally and the leading cancer among men. Every year, 400,000 people die globally because of this condition.
The doctor revealed that symptoms of jaw metastases can be subtle and often be confused for common dental problems. Consequently, it becomes difficult to detect.
“Patients may experience symptoms such as persistent swelling in the jaw, pain, loose teeth without an obvious cause, or delayed healing after dental extractions,” Dr Bozic said as quoted by The Sun.
He explained that some individuals might experience “numbness or tingling in the jaw, which could indicate nerve involvement.” In this case, the swelling that developed after the man’s tooth extraction provided a vital clue.