Sammip Sett before surgery

"These people had awful cosmetic deformities. These looked dreadful, they had very poor function.

"We did not measure quality of life in those days, but these people must have had awful quality of life."

However, modern surgical reconstruction techniques have given mouth cancer patients new hope for the future.

Sammip Sett is one of those who has benefited from state-of-the art surgery.

Complex operation

The BBC documentary series Living With Cancer followed him as he underwent a complex 14-hour operation to have a tumour removed and his jaw reconstructed.

Two days after surgery

The reconstructive part of the operation is, in the surgeon's words, all or nothing: it is either a complete success or failure.

First, the surgeons removed the tumour from Sammip's jaw, along with the surrounding lymph nodes and fatty tissue.

Then they removed a piece of bone and skin from his leg to replace his diseased jaw bone.

They used titanium screws to fix the bone in place.

Tests carried out on tissue samples removed during surgery confirm while the surgeons are still operating that they have removed all of the tumour.

Fears

In Sammip's case, doctors had feared that the malignancy had spread to his skull - in which case it would be inoperable.

The final part of the operation involves very precise stitching together of the blood vessels, done under the microscope.

The swelling soon goes down

Two days after undergoing surgery, Sammip's face was massively swollen. He could not talk, and he needed a tracheotomy tube to breathe.

However, doctors were pleased at the progress he was making.

A week after surgery, pathology results confirmed he was free from cancer.

To finish the treatment, he needed six weeks of radiotherapy.

Looking back, he talked about how surviving cancer had changed his life.

"I didn't realise how valuable life is. I was just working for the sake of working.

"This thing has definitely showed me there is something more than that."

Life after surgery

Pam Ainsley had reconstructive surgery

Pam Ainsley, from East Grinstead, is another mouth cancer patient who had to undergo radical surgery.

Three operations left her scarred, but determined to live as normal a life as possible.

"I think it is the worst type of cancer there is. I would rather have lost a breast, or even a leg.

"In the supermarket people do still stare, and I am bitter that they do still stare at me.

"But I think if the rest of your face and your hair looks good, people aren't going to notice it so much.

"You have got that thing on top of your shoulders that is deformed, but you can improve it by using make up, fake tan, and doing your hair."

Living With Cancer is broadcast on BBC One on Mondays at 2235GMT.