Dad with ulcer asked doctor 'how much of my tongue do I have left?'

A dad was first told he had cancer after noticing a small ulcer in his mouth. Les Matthews, from Rock Ferry but living in Bebington, has been diagnosed with three different types of cancer over the last 25 years, with the first diagnosis coming shortly after his 50th birthday.

Les said he was quick to get his symptoms checked out which is why he is still here today. Now aged 81, Les said that “getting away with it twice was luck, but to get away with it three times” was down to the amazing NHS staff Merseyside has to offer.

The dad-of-two told the ECHO: “Every time, I was lucky. I got it so early. I reacted straight away every time, and it paid off. I’m cancer-free now since last year, but I have half my lung taken out and some of my tongue.

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“I can’t believe it. My family were worried to death, and my wife joked that she went white-haired early because of me.” Les was first diagnosed with cancer back in 1993.

As he was gearing up to celebrate his birthday, he noticed a small ulcer in his mouth that had been there for a number of weeks. On the night of his 50th, he showed it to his wife, Ann and friend, who both replied: “You should definitely get that seen too”.

Taking their advice, Les went to Birkenhead’s Arrowe Park Hospital, where he had a biopsy done on his tongue. Within a week, the doctors confirmed he had cancer in his mouth.

Les told the ECHO: “I was told to come back at 5pm the same night of the diagnosis, and so I did. I went into the theatre and was operated on there and then. It was scary because the doctor said if he didn’t get it the first time, they could get it the second time, but I asked, ‘how much tongue would I have left?’.

“I was frightened. They took so much away, but my tongue still felt and looked the same. My tongue was very swollen after it, and I couldn’t speak for weeks. It was just the one ulcer as a symptom - it just seemed like something or nothing to me.”

All healed up, Les and his family thought his cancer journey was over. However, this wouldn’t be the case as he was diagnosed with another form of the disease in 2005. While on holiday with Ann in Spain, she noticed blood stains on his boxers.

This time around, Les headed to Clatterbridge Hospital after he landed back on British soil. He went through rigorous tests for nine months until it was confirmed he had prostate cancer.

Les opted for an operation to have the cancer removed as it was initially believed it was contained. As it became clear the cancer had spread, Les had to undergo radiotherapy.

In 2018, Les was diagnosed with cancer for the third time when he was told he had lung cancer at Broadgreen Hospital after “feeling rough” while coughing up blood.

Les shared his story as part of a campaign launched by North West Cancer Research. The initiative, Our Cancer Rates, encourages people to learn more about the signs of the disease by following the charity’s annual report.

It found that mortality rates in Merseyside are around 20% higher than the national average. Across the North West, only Cumbria has higher rates than the county. In Merseyside, the charity's report found people are 56% more likely to die from lung cancer and 32% more likely to die from stomach cancer.

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Alastair Richards, CEO of North West Cancer Research, said: “Looking at the mortality rates for cancer in the region, we have a number of very clear challenges. As a charity dedicated to putting our region’s needs first, it is both saddening and concerning to see such major differences when it comes to how many people are dying from cancer in Merseyside and across the wider North West.

“We should not be lagging the national average at all, let alone so significantly – the chance of developing cancer should have absolutely nothing to do with where a person lives. We have access to some excellent treatment and fantastic specialists in our region, but it’s vital that diagnoses happen as early as possible, so that we can access these services.”