You have recently been diagnosed as suffering from oral cancer. As part of the preparation for deciding which treatment is best for you, your doctors will “stage” your cancer. This leaflet tells you what is involved in that staging process and why it is important for your care.

A sialogram is a dye investigation of a salivary gland. It is carried out to look in detail at the larger salivary glands, namely the parotid or submandibular glands. These glands drain saliva into your mouth through small tubes (ducts). The parotid duct opens on the inside of the cheek next to the upper back teeth. The submandibular duct opens on the inside of the mouth under the tongue immediately behind the lower front teeth.

Approximately 1% of the population in the United Kingdom consider their ears to be too prominent. In many cases a family trend can be seen. Most prominent ears lack a normal fold of cartilage, and sometimes one ear is more prominent than the other. Children with prominent ears are sometimes teased at school.

Facial scars can arise from trauma or surgery. Scar revision is designed to improve or disguise the appearance of an existing scar. Scars tend to improve on their own with time and therefore surgery to revise a scar is not usually carried out for at least six months after the original injury or operation. Scar revisions can be carried out under either general anaesthesia (ie you are put to sleep completely) or local anaesthesia (an injection to make the area numb).

The sublingual gland is a salivary gland about the size of an almond that lies underneath the tongue in the floor of your mouth. Saliva drains from it through a number of small tubes that open on the inside of the mouth underneath the tongue. The most common reason for removing a sublingual gland is as a result of a blockage to these drainage tubes. This can lead to a swelling (ranula).

Recurrent oral ulceration is a term used to describe small mouth ulcers which typically last a few days but come back every few weeks or months. Typically they affect the tongue, lips and cheeks, but any part of the mouth can get ulcers. They are very common, often starting in childhood. About two in every three people will have been affected with recurrent oral ulceration at some time in their lives.

A radial forearm free flap is one way of filling a hole which is left when a cancer has been removed. It is one of the most common ways of replacing tissue in the head and neck, particularly after mouth cancers have been removed. It can be used to replace large parts of the mouth and has the advantage that when it heals it does not shrink so that hopefully speech and swallowing will not be greatly affected.

The parotid gland is a salivary gland that lies immediately in front of the ear. Saliva drains from it through a tube that opens on the inside of the cheek next to the upper back teeth. The parotid gland is most commonly operated on to remove a lump.

Your surgeon has decided that the best way to sort out the problems you are experiencing from your jaw joint is to perform “open” surgery. Open surgery involves exposing the jaw joint fully by making a cut in front of the ear rather than using keyhole techniques.