Oral Cancer – An Overview
Oral Cancer – An Overview
Oral cancer, a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. Malignancies of the oral cavity may arise from a variety of different tissues such as the salivary gland, muscle, and blood vessels, or even maybe present as metastases from different sites.
Symptoms of oral cancer:
The most commonly affected sites of oral cancer are the tongue and the floor of the mouth. The other common sites are buccal mucosa (lining of the cheeks and the back of the lips), gums, and rarely hard and soft palate. The symptoms of oral cancer include:
- White or red patches in the mouth
- Sores or lesions that will not heal
- Lump in the cheek
- Chronic sore throat
- Problems with swallowing
- Numbness in any area of the mouth
- Swelling of the jaw
Risk factors of oral cancer:
Smoking or chewing tobacco products are known risk factors for cancers of the oral cavity. The risk for oral cancer is high in men when compared to women. Age is also a contributing factor and men whose age is more than 50 are at higher risk.
Other risk factors of oral cancer include:
- Exposure to UV radiation
- Human papilloma virus (HPV)
- Excess consumption of alcohol
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Oral lichen planus (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity)
- Chronic irritation of the oral cavity
- Chronic candidiasis (fungal infection)
Diagnosis:
Oral cancer is diagnosed when the disease has already reached an advanced stage. Therefore the early detection of all premalignant lesions is critical for the long-term survival of these patients. It can be diagnosed by the following procedures:
- Biopsy (excision of tissue for pathological examination)
- Endoscopy (an endoscope (a long and flexible tube) inserted down the throat to examine)
- Imaging tests
Treatment:
Oral cancer can be treated by surgery (to remove cancerous growth), radiation therapy, or chemotherapy (to destroy any remaining cancer cells). Some patients have a combination of treatments (multimodality therapy) depending on their health condition.
Prevention and Control:
Oral cancer has well-defined risk factors, these may be modified giving real hope for primary prevention. Adhering to the following measures may decrease the risk of oral cancer:
- Quit smoking or chewing tobacco
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Take counselling for behavior modification
- Consume a healthy and nutritious diet
- Undergo oral cancer screening tests annually after age 40
- Limit sun exposure