You may not know Jeana Keough’s name, but you may remember her face.
Back in the 1980s, credited as Jeana Tomasino, she was one of ZZ Top’s “Eliminator girls,” appearing in the videos for “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Legs.” A couple decades later, she was part of the original cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
These days, at 70, she’s making headlines again — only now for a more serious reason. According to Page Six, Keough is undergoing treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue — a diagnosis she believes was delayed after a dentist failed to recognize a persistent sore as something that warranted further investigation.
Keough described seeking help repeatedly for the painful spot, which was attributed to a tooth rubbing against her tongue. Eventually, a biopsy confirmed it was cancer.
Obviously, we have no way of knowing what happened during those dental visits or whether anything truly was missed. But Keough’s experience does shine a spotlight on something that matters enormously with oral cancer: finding it early.
Another thing that matters: Oral cancer is far more common than most people realize. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx — the mouth and the area at the back of the throat — this year alone. About 13,000 of them will die.
Only about one-third of oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed while they’re still localized, meaning they haven’t spread beyond the place where they began. In such cases, the 5-year survival rate is nearly 89%. Once the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes, survival drops to about 70%.
And with distant spread? The rate is down to just 36%.
Such numbers make it clear that early detection can make an enormous difference. A persistent sore is something to get checked out sooner rather than later. The same goes for red or white patches, a lump or thickened area, or changes that make it hard to swallow or move your tongue.
But not every oral cancer announces itself with an obvious spot or pain in your mouth.
For decades, tobacco use and heavy drinking have been among the major risk factors for head and neck cancers. Both still matter. Yet though both behaviors have become less common, oral cancer rates have continued to rise. Much of the increase is due to cancers linked with human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Those cancers tend to develop further back in the mouth, in areas of soft tissue that are hard to see for yourself. Cancer there can be harder to detect. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, about 70% of newly diagnosed oropharyngeal cancers in the US are HPV-positive.
Instead of an obvious sore, these cancers may offer only a more subtle clue, such as a persistent sore throat or hoarseness, or difficulty swallowing. Or you might have the feeling of something being stuck in your throat, ear pain, or a lump on your neck. Early on, they may present no noticeable symptoms at all.
That’s why we aim to be as thorough as possible when screening for oral cancers here at the Collective Health Society. The approach we take is layered, starting with your health history and individual risk factors, including tobacco and alcohol use, family history, and HPV risk.
The physical exam involves more than just looking for suspicious spots. Some tissue changes are detectable by touch. Swollen or enlarged lymph nodes in the head and neck may offer another clue that something deserves more attention. Feeling for abnormalities is just as important as looking for them.
High-resolution intraoral photographs can document questionable areas so they can be compared over time, while salivary testing may provide additional information about HPV or other biomarkers when appropriate.
If something looks suspicious enough to warrant a biopsy, we have established relationships with oral pathologists and surgeons who can provide a definitive diagnosis and appropriate next steps.
Meantime, Keough’s story stands as a useful reminder that you don’t have to wait until your next scheduled visit if something doesn’t seem right. Schedule something sooner so we can take a look and determine which next steps may be needed.
And when nothing seems wrong? That’s exactly why routine screening matters.