What Is Oral Cancer?
Oral cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in your mouth. This includes anterior part of the tongue, palate, lips and their inner lining, cheeks and gums.
What Are the Types of Oral Cancer?
The most common type of oral cancer is called squamous cell carcinoma accounting for more than 90 percent of oral cancers. Other rare types include verrucous carcinoma, minor salivary glands carcinoma, lymphoma etc
What Are the Symptoms of Oral Cancer?A persistent mouth sore that will not heal.
- Persistent pain in your mouth.
- A lump or thickening in your cheek
- White or red patches anywhere in your mouth.
- Difficulty swallowing, chewing or moving your jaw or tongue.
- Numbness in your mouth or tongue.
What caused oral cancers ?
About 75% of people who develop oral cancer have the following risk factors :
- Smoking cigarettes,bidi, cigars or pipes.
- Use smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco ( gutka , pan masala, khaini) or hookah.
- Consumes large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis..
- Excessive exposure to the sun without protecting the lips with sunblock.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
- Family history of oral cancer.
It’s important to note that 25% of people who develop oral cancer don’t smoke or have other known risk factors
How is oral cancer diagnosed ?
Tests done to detect oral cancer includes:
- Physical examination: Your doctor or dentist will look at the entire inside of your mouth and might feel around your mouth. They’ll also examine your head, face and neck for potential signs of pre-cancer or cancer.
- Biopsy: it means removing a small piece of tissue to get cells to be examined for cancer to know its type and grade.
- Indirect laryngoscopy and pharyngoscopy: Your doctor will use a small mirror on a long thin handle to look at your throat, the base of your tongue and part of your larynx (voice box).
- Direct (flexible) pharyngoscopy and laryngoscopy: They may use an endoscope to look at areas of your throat and mouth that can’t be seen with mirrors. An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with an attached light and viewing lens.
- CT /MRI scan of head and neck: It helps in localization of the disease within the oral cavity and its spread to nearby structures. It also helps in deciding surgical resectibility of the disease.
- PET CT scan: It helps identifying the spread of cancer to other parts of the body and finding the stage of cancer.
What are the stages of oral cancer?
The stages for oral cavity cancer are:
- Stage 1: The tumor is small in size and limited to the mouth.
- Stage 2: The tumor has increased in size but is still limited to the mouth.
- Stage 3: The tumor has increased in size and spread to lymph nodes in the neck.
- Stage 4: The tumor has spread to other parts of the body.
How is oral cancer treated?
Treatment options include:
Surgery : It is the main treatment which included removal of the disease part like glossectomy (tongue), maxillectomy ( upper jaw ), and mandibluectomy ( lower jaw ); lymph nodes in the neck and reconstruction of defect caused ..
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high energy beams to kill cancer cells. It is usually used after surgery to reduce the chances of disease coming back.
Chemotherapy: It is the use of drugs that kill cancer cells. It can be used alone or along with radiation therapy.
Targeted therapy: This cancer treatment uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells without hurting normal cells.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that engages the body’s immune system to fight the disease. The treatment is sometimes called biological therapy.
What can I do to prevent developing oral cancer?
Oral cancer can be prevented, and you can play an active role in preventing it. You can help prevent oral cancer with the following tips:
- If you’re someone who smokes tobacco or chews tobacco, try to stop it or cut back as soon as possible.If you think it is difficult for you to do you can talk to your doctor about smoking cessation programs.
- If you’re someone who drinks alcohol, drink in moderation.
- Always use sunblock on your face ad lips when going out in sun.
- Eat a well-balanced diet.
- Have regular dental check-ups and oral cancer screening specially if you smoke or use tobacco.
Can I spot oral cancer early?
Detecting oral cancer early can reduce the chance the cancer will grow or spread and improve your chances of cure. You can detect oral cancer early by doing a monthly self-examination. If you spot changes or something unusual, contact your doctor immediately. It will hardly take a few minutes of your time and you can easily perform this procedure while brushing your teeth or shaving. Here is how to do it :
- Use a bright light and a mirror to look inside your mouth.
- Tilt your head back and look at the roof of your mouth.
- Pull your cheeks out to view the inside of your mouth, the lining of your cheeks and your back gums.
- Pull your tongue out and look at the top, bottom and sides. Gently push your tongue back so you can see the floor of your mouth.
- Feel your lips, the front of your gums and the roof of your mouth.
- Feel your neck and under your lower jaw for lumps or enlarged lymph nodes.
Dr. Gagan Saini
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