Lance Armstrong discusses oral side effects of cancer

By Dr. Linda Niessen
Monday, April 22, 2002

As a world champion, Lance Armstrong inspires other cancer survivors by delivering a large dose of hope which only has a positive side effects.

"I'm going to survive. I'm going to live. I'm going to win."

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong discusses cancer's oral side effects
04/22/2002
By Dr. LINDA NIESSEN / Special contributor to WFAA-TV

Seven weeks of radiation therapy left Chris Whatley with little or no saliva.

"Complete dry mouth," he says. "I have no salivary function whatsoever. It's hard to speak. It's hard to talk without salivary function. You can't appreciate food. You can't eat. You can't swallow."

Radiation can permanently impair the saliva glands, and chemotherapy patients seldom escape side effects in the mouth.

"Chemotherapy is designed to treat the cancer, " says dentist Dr. Jackie Plemons. "And cancer is made up of very rapidly dividing cells. Well, it just so happens that you have parts of your body made up of rapidly dividing cells: the mouth, the hair, the stomach. All those things are affected by those agents that are initially aimed at treating your cancer and will save your life."

Cancer survivors shared stories about treatment side effects at the annual Ride for the Roses weekend in Austin sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

"Only thing I could eat was apple fritters," Armstrong says.

Diagnosed with testicular cancer six years ago, Armstrong underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

"You can have things like cold sores in the mouth, down the throat," he says. "There are people who have their throat lined with cold sores."

During an hour-long panel discussion, cancer survivors got a chance to ask questions and share common experiences with the three-time winner of the Tour de France.

Just steps away, volunteers from the Academy of General Dentistry Foundation performed free oral screenings for cancer.

"Before they have cancer therapy, chemotherapy, they need to be examined by their general dentist," says Dr. John Chandler of the Academy of General Dentistry.

As a world champion, Armstrong inspires other cancer survivors by delivering a large dose of hope which only has a positive side effects.

"I'm going to survive. I'm going to live. I'm going to win," Armstrong says

Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and  the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.

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