15th September 2020

A 65-year-old man presents with a mouth ulcer

A 65-year-old man presents with a mouth ulcer. The ulcer is located on the inside of his bottom lip and is around 5 mm in diameter with irregular poorly-defined margins. Although it is sore, the patient is not overly concerned – he has come to the GP at the insistence of his wife, who is worried because he has had the ulcer for around six weeks now, and it has not shown any signs of resolving. He has smoked since the age of 15, and smokes around 20 cigarettes a day. Since his retirement five years ago, he goes to the pub every week day, and estimates he drinks around three or four pints of lager on each visit. Aside from mild COPD, he has no other medical history of note.

Which of the following is the most appropriate management option?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.