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Can a toothache be the reason for someone's cancer? An England based doctor and health content creator @Choji_ES who posts on X, formerly Twitter on reproductive health related content revealed a case where a man went to the dentist due to pain in his jaw and when the tooth was pulled out, a cancer was found in his private part.
The same case also been mentioned by Baridueh Badon (MD, MSc, MBA), who allows posts healthcare content on the same microblogging platform, by the username @BadonB.
In this case, a man went to a dentist for a simple toothache, only to discover that he had cancer. This happened to a 78-year-old healthy man, who suffered pain in his lower jaw and noticed a loose tooth. When he went to the dentist, he decided to get his tooth remove to ease his pain. However, despite the removal, his jaw started to swell again. Confused, the man was recommended for a CT scan and something unexpected happened.
It was Metastatic Prostate Cancer.
As per an African proverb, it is true that the head and the body are one; what affects one may touch the other.
Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland, which is a part of a man's reproductive system. When it spreads to other parts of the body, like the jaw, it is called metastatic prostate cancer. But, why exactly the jaw? This is because the jawbone is rich in blood and active bone marrow, which makes it a comfortable place for cancer cells to settle and grow.
As per a 2023 study in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and Pathology, titled Mandibular metastasis from prostate cancer that clinically mimicked osteosarcoma: A case report, noted that in men, 11% of jawbone metastases originated from the prostate gland.
Warning Signs Dentists Look For:
These may seem minor, but they could hint at something serious. Early detection is life-saving.
Prostate cancer is the 4th common cancer globally and is most prone to men who are over 40. Every year, it claims about 400,000 lives worldwide.
Earlier in November, six-time Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy was diagnosed with stage-4 prostate cancer, which was announced in February. This six-time Olympic champion revealed that he had a pain in his shoulder when he was 47, which did not go away. "I was still lifting weights in the gym, still physically active. You are used to having aches and pains, but this one did not go away."
The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland in men that produces seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. It occurs when abnormal cells form and grow in that gland.
Experts say that not all prostate cancer is deadly. There are cancers that are slow-growing and will not affect a man's lifespan, which is found in 1 in 3 men over 50. Then there is a small number of very aggressive prostate cancers which move quickly and cause harm, this is why regular screening is important.
Chris too has called for more, younger men to be tested, including those with a family history of the disease.
Even during pregnancy, extreme discomfort must not be normalised. (Photo credit: iStock)
Many women silently accept certain health issues as a normal part of life. However, many of these symptoms, such as painful menses and fatigue, can indicate underlying medical conditions that need attention. So, women shouldn’t neglect their health and seek timely help. Dr Payal Narang, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospital, Pune, in an interview with Health and Me, spoke about the health problems that women often normalise, but that can become catastrophic in the long run.
Read more: Three Health Checks Every Woman Should Do Each Month, According To Experts
Women often juggle multiple responsibilities that include work, family, and household duties and neglect their own health. They are busy due to professional and personal life commitments and often fail to go for regular health check-ups. Moreover, they also experience menstrual problems and ignore symptoms such as painful periods, constant fatigue, heavy menstrual bleeding, and urinary leakage after childbirth. Women should consult a doctor instead of normalising these symptoms, which can delay diagnosis and treatment of important health issues. Paying attention to these signs and seeking medical advice can help women maintain better health and quality of life.

Women, listening to the body, don’t just Google and try any remedies on your own. It is necessary to follow expert-recommended guidelines for tackling these problems.
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Long considered a standard tool for assessing body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be as reliable as once believed. A new study shows that relying on BMI can incorrectly classify people as overweight or obese.
When a team of Italian researchers used the gold standard technique of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure body fat in the general population, they found that the traditional WHO-approved BMI classification system misidentified a significant number of people as having overweight or obesity.
A total of 1,351 adults of mixed gender aged between 18 and 98 years were checked for their body weight using the DXA system.
The results, published in the journal Nutrients, revealed that more than one-third (34 percent) of those with obesity defined by BMI had been misclassified and should be in the overweight category.
For those with an overweight BMI, DXA showed that more than half – 53 percent – had been misclassified – three quarters of those misclassified fall into the normal weight category, while the other quarter should have been classified as having obesity.
The DXA analysis found that the prevalence of overweight and obesity across the cohort was around 37 percent overall (23.4 percent overweight, and 13.2 percent obesity, compared to 26.2 percent and 14.1 percent with BMI).
“In the past few years, there has been a lot of criticism of the BMI system due to its inability to accurately capture body fat percentage or distribution, to correctly categorise weight status based on adiposity,” said Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Also read: Your BMI Does Not Reflect Your Health: New Study Warns How It Misses A Key Health Aspect
Despite these concerns, BMI as a weight classification system continues to be used in the general population in primary healthcare (i.e., general practitioners) and non-clinical (i.e., policy and health insurance) settings, he added.
The researchers urged revising public health guidelines to consider combining direct body composition or their surrogate measures, such as skinfold measurement or body circumference, with the waist-to-height ratio, with BMI, while assessing weight status in the general population.
In January 2025, India revamped its obesity guidelines, and the new approach focused on abdominal obesity and comorbid diseases, rather than just BMI.
According to the redefining team, it was essential to move beyond BMI-only approaches to tackle the ever-growing number of people related to other major health risks. They stated that while BMI can be a screening tool, obesity must be defined by body fat.
“BMI should be used for screening purposes, but obesity should be confirmed ideally by a measure of body fat wherever feasible, or another measure such as waist circumference, WHR, or Waist-to-height ratio,” Dr. Naval Vikram, Professor of Medicine, at AIIMS, New Delhi, was quoted as saying to IANS at the time.
Also read: 41 million children aged 5-19 living with high BMI in India: Study
It recognizes abdominal fat — closely linked to insulin resistance — as a key factor in the diagnosis. It integrates the presence of comorbidities — such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease — into the diagnostic process.
The revised guidelines also introduce a two-stage classification system, addressing both generalized and abdominal obesity.
Stage 1 Obesity: Increased adiposity (BMI > 23 kg/m²) without apparent effects on organ functions or routine daily activities.
Stage 2 Obesity: Advanced state of obesity with increased BMI more than 23 kg/2, and abdominal adiposity; excess Waist Circumference or Waist-to-Height Ratio.
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Amanda Peet, the Hollywood actress known for roles in Something’s Gotta Give, The Whole Nine Yards, and Jack & Jill, recently opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis and how informing her kids about her health became the toughest part for her.
In a New Yorker essay published March 21, the 54-year-old actress announced how a routine scan in August 2025 showed an unusual ultrasound result. Later, a biopsy detected a tumor that “appeared” small.
The Dirty John star found to be in stage 1 of lobular cancer that is “hormone-receptor-positive” and “HER2-negative,” making her “happier than the pre-diagnosis” stage.
It is because Hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative cancer is less aggressive and often easier to treat than more aggressive forms of breast cancer.
However, informing her children, Frances, 19, Molly, 15, and Henry, 11, about the cancer was the toughest part for her, and she had to be in the right mindset before sharing the news with them.
“They've been great,” Peet told E! News.
“I definitely had to get myself together before including them. The hard part was realizing that nothing is certain and there was going to be no perfect time to tell them,” she added.
Peet stated that between her diagnosis, she had also been navigating a series of family health crises — with both of her parents' final months in hospice care.
The Your Friends & Neighbors actress, in her essay, also noted that she would “only need a lumpectomy and radiation,” not a double mastectomy.
Also read: Jane Fallon Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, This Is How She Caught It Early
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) the second most common form of breast cancer, representing 5 to 15 percent of breast cancer cases.
Rather than a distinct lump, it can appear as a thickening or "fullness" rather than a tumor.
It is often difficult to detect on mammograms, thus MRI or ultrasound are more effective for detection
It is usually hormone receptor-positive.
HR+ and HER2− breast cancer is the most common subtype and is seen among 60–75 per cent of cases.
It is not two different cancers, but rather specific, defining characteristics of the same cancer type (breast cancer). It grows:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer screening is a proactive checkup used to find cancer before any physical signs or symptoms appear. While screening doesn’t prevent cancer, its goal is early detection, making the disease much easier to treat.
Since every person’s body and history are different, you and your doctor should engage in informed and shared decision-making. This means discussing the pros and cons to decide together if, and when, screening is right for you.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (a group of national medical experts) provides guidelines based on the latest research:
Average Risk
Women aged 40 to 74 should generally get a mammogram every two years.
High Risk
If you have a family history or other risk factors, your doctor may recommend a different schedule or additional tests.
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