Dear Dr. Roach: I am a healthy 69-year-old female. I walk every day and belong to an exercise group that I attend twice a week. I'm writing because during a routine dental cleaning, my dentist noticed a spot on the left side of my tongue that turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma.

I've never smoked, and I drink less than one alcoholic drink per month. I've had my surgery, and my PET scan was negative for the cancer spreading into my lymph nodes. So, I was fortunate to catch it fairly early. My message to your readers is to please get your routine teeth cleanings; it just might save your life.

— Anon.

Dear Anon.: This is a message worth publishing. I congratulate you on your apparent cure and appreciate your writing. My own dentist is diligent about doing a careful mouth exam for ca

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