Oral Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases whose main characteristic is a group of cells which grow uncontrollably and cause damage to the nearby tissue. Oral cancer manifests itself as a sore or growth in your mouth which doesn't heal up and vanish. Oral cancer is a catch all term for cancers occurring in the cheeks, tongue, lips, floor of the mouth and several other nearby locations. If left untreated oral cancer can be potentially fatal.

Symptoms

The majority of patients with oral cancer commonly experience swellings and lumps inside their mouth or on the lips and gums. These may also appear as crusts, eroded patches and rough spots. Bleeding which occurs for no apparent reason is also an indicator of Oral cancer as is developing red and white patches inside your mouth. Many oral cancer patients frequently experience a loss of sensitivity in their mouth, face and neck areas and pain in the throat is also common. Sores often appear in cases of oral cancer usually on the face, neck or in the mouth. These sores bleed frequently and remain for extended periods of time. It's also common to experience problems swallowing, chewing and speaking with hoarseness and a severe throat also being typical. In some cases patients also experience ear pain and excessive weight loss.

Causes

There's a number of risk factors in developing cancer with the most typical being smoking with smokers being up to six times more likely to develop cancer of the mouth. Similarly even those who use 'smokeless' tobacco such as chewing tobacco or snuff are at an even greater risk of developing cancer in the lining of the lips and the gums. Alcohol can also increase your risk of developing oral cancer as can excessive exposure to sunlight, particularly at a young age. You're at an increased risk of developing cancer if it runs in your family as there is a strong genetic factor involved.

Diagnosing oral cancer

Your dentist will usually screen you for oral cancer during one of your routine examinations. During the exam your dentist will feel around for any irregular tissue changes or lumps around your mouth and neck areas. Your dentist will pay particular attention to any discoloured tissue and sores. If you are found to have suspicious looking tissue then an oral brush biopsy may be performed. This test requires a small tissue sample be taken and then sent off to be tested for atypical cells.

Treatment

Oral cancer is commonly treated in the same manner that most other cancers. This means that a combination of surgery, to extract the cancerous growth, and radiation or chemotherapy to eradicate any cancer cells which remain.

Prevention

There's a number of steps you can take to lower the risk of oral cancer. Most importantly smoking or the use of tobacco products is one of the leading risk factors so find help and quit as soon as possible. Similarly alcohol, when consumed excessively can also be a risk factor so be sure to drink in moderation. Excessive exposure to sunlight is another big risk so be sure to limit your time in the sun and use protective lotions on your skin and lips. Research has shown that a healthy and varied diet can also be of benefit not only to your general health but also lowering the risk of developing oral cancer.