If you or a loved one were a non-smoker and were diagnosed with oral cancer, mouth cancer or squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity after using a recalled Philips CPAP, BiPAP or ventilator machine, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a CPAP oral or mouth cancer lawsuit case or settlement claim.
A team of medical device injury lawyers and class action attorneys is investigating potential lawsuit cases and settlement claims of individuals who were diagnosed with mouth cancer or oral cancer after using or being treated with a recalled Philips CPAP, BiPap or ventilator.
Mouth cancer (oral cancer or oral cavity cancer) is a type of cancer that develops in the oral cavity or mouth (including the lips, gums, tongue, lining of the cheeks, roof of the mouth, floor of the mouth under the tongue and salivary glands) when cells in the mouth mutate, become abnormal and begin to grow out of control.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NIH), more than 54,000 oral cancer cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2021 and more than 10,800 people died from oral cancer.
CPAP Mouth Cancer Lawsuit Cases
CPAP mouth cancer lawsuit cases and settlement claims potentially being investigated include claims of non-smoking CPAP patients who, after using a recalled Philips C-PAP, BiPAP or ventilator machine, were diagnosed with oral cancer, including the following, among others:
- Mouth cancer
- Oral cancer
- Oral cavity cancer
- Mouth tumor
- Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity
- Tongue cancer
- Lip cancer
- Floor of mouth cancer
- Gum cancer
- Tonsil cancer
- Hard palate cancer
- Inner cheek cancer
- Buccol mucosa cancer
- Other types of mouth cancers
- Other types of cancer lawsuits
In June of 2021, the FDA issued a safety alert advising that Philips was issuing a recall of certain of its ventilators, BiPAP, and CPAP machines (e.g., DreamStation, C-Series, Dorma CPAP, OmniLab Advanced+, REMstar CPAP, SystemOne, A-Series BiPAP, Garbin Plus, Aeris, LifeVent Ventilator, Trilogy Ventilator and E30) due to potential health risks, including toxic and carcinogenic effects, related to polyester-based polyurethane sound abatement foam degradation and/or off-gasing.
Oral Cancer Injury Claims
The most common form of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (found in thin, flat cells in tissue forming the surface of the skin and lining of hollow organs or tracts of the body), making up more than 90% of mouth cancer cases. Other rarer forms of mouth cancer include oral verrucous carcinoma and oral melanoma.
Signs & Symptoms of Mouth Cancer
Signs and symptoms of mouth cancer can include:
- Mouth sore that hasn’t healed
- Lip sore that hasn’t healed
- Mouth ulcer that doesn’t heal
- Mouth pain
- Loose teeth
- White patches in mouth (leukoplakia)
- Red patches in mouth (erythroplakia)
- A growth or lump inside your mouth
- Tongue pain
- Jaw pain
- Ear pain
- Lump in lip
- Lump in mouth
- Lump in neck
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Pain when swallowing
- Speech problems
- Slurring
- Voice sounds different
- Weight loss
- Unusual bleeding in mouth
- Feeling like something caught in throat
- Persistent bad breath
- Numbness in mouth
- Difficulty moving jaw
- Other mouth or oral cancer symptoms
Mouth cancer complications, including complications from oral cancer treatment, can include, among others, dental problems, mucositis, dermatitis, taste dysfunction, bleeding, infection, pain, narrowing of carotid artery, speech issues, swallowing issues, mental health issues, radiation necrosis, breathing problems, oral cancer metastasis to other parts of the body and/or death.
Tools and procedures used by a doctor or dentist to diagnose mouth cancer can include a medical history, family history, physical exam, imaging tests (x-ray, CT scan, PET scan, MRI, etc.), lab tests, endoscopy and oral tissue biopsy of the mouth, among others.
Stages of Mouth Cancer
Mouth cancers are typically assigned one of five stages. In Stage 0 mouth cancer (carcinoma in situ), abnormal cells remain in the lining of the lips or oral cavity. In Stage 1 mouth cancer, the oral tumor is not more than 2 centimeters, and the oral cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes. In Stage 2 mouth cancer, the tumor in the mouth is larger than 2 centimeters but not more than 4 centimeters and has not spread to the lymph nodes. In Stage 3 oral cancer, the tumor in the mouth is either larger than 4 centimeters or has spread to a lymph node in the neck. In Stage 4 oral cancer, the cancer in the oral cavity has spread to nearby tissue, lymph node(s), or distant parts of the body (e.g., lungs).
Treatments for Oral Cavity Cancer
Treatment for oral cavity cancer can include surgery (surgery to remove a tumor in the mouth, including removal of teeth, tongue and/or jaw bone, surgery to remove cancer that spread to lymph nodes in the neck or neck dissection, surgery to reconstruct the mouth including transplant grafts and/or dental implants), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or targeted drug therapy, among others.
If you or someone you love were a non-smoker who used a C-PAP, Bi-PAP or ventilator machine and were diagnosed with oral cancer or mouth cancer, you may be entitled to compensation from a CPAP oral cancer lawsuit case or settlement claim. Contact a medical device injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or a loved one are experiencing health issues, side effects or complications from a medical device or healthcare product, we urge you to promptly consult with your doctor or physician for an evaluation.
**The listing of a company (e.g., Koninklijke Philips N.V. or Royal Philips, Philips North America LLC, or Philips RS North America LLC) or product is not meant to state or imply that the company acted illegally or improperly or that the product is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product identification and/or informational purposes.
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