For one 76-year-old man, a loose tooth and aching jaw seemed like standard dental problems. He visited his dentist to have the troublesome tooth removed, expecting relief. Instead, the swelling persisted for weeks.
According to a case report in the Australian Dental Journal, a follow-up CT scan uncovered the grim reality. The patient had a cancerous lesion in his jaw, but it didn’t start there. It was a secondary tumor caused by advanced prostate cancer.
The Link Between Oral Health and Cancer While rare, cancer can spread—or metastasize—from the prostate to the jawbone. Experts explain that the jaw has a rich blood supply, creating an environment where travelling cancer cells can settle.
This diagnosis highlights a critical warning: dental issues in older adults, such as loose teeth or gum swelling that fail to heal, should never be ignored.
Silent Symptoms This case mirrors the recent diagnosis of Olympic icon Sir Chris Hoy. The six-time gold medalist revealed he had stage four prostate cancer after suffering from shoulder and rib pain. Like the dental patient, the disease had spread to his bones before being detected.
What to Watch For Prostate cancer affects one in eight men in the UK. Be vigilant for these warning signs:
- Oral: Numbness, persistent swelling, or loose teeth.
- Urinary: A need to urinate more often (especially at night), weak flow, or blood in the urine.
- General: Unexplained bone or joint pain.
