Oral Cancer
One of the common forms of cancer is oral cancer, which is categorized by an uncontrollable increase of cells that attack your cavities or oral tissues. If it’s not detected and treated early, it can prove to be critical to a person's life.
Oral cancer belongs to a group of cancers based aroundthe neck and head. It begins to appear in the tongue, soft palate and/or mouth’s floor or any part of your mouth or throat. Males above 40, who use alcohol, tobacco or have a record of head or neck cancer have a higher risk of getting the disease.
Symptoms
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For 2 weeks or more, a lip or mouth sore won’t heal.
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Red and/or white patches in your mouth or lips
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Bleeding mouth
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Loose teeth
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Problem in swallowing
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Swelling in the neck
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Regular or constant earaches
Prevention
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Have usual dental check-ups.
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Avoid excessive alcohol and tobacco intake.
- See a medical professional about unusual spots in the mouth or tongue.
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Have oral cancer screening with your dentist.
Dangers of Oral Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society in United States, about 35,000 new cases are diagnosed every year and about 25% of concerned people will die of the disease. Diagnosis of the oral cancer’s stage is very important to the course of the disease. When the disease is detected at an early stage, it's still easier to cure and treat it; with late detection, chances are only 50% of patients diagnosed have a chance of surviving more than 5 years.
Treatment
The best treatment for the disease is the first thing to be planned. Dental X-rays, Endoscopy, CT scan or an MRI are the required lab tests. The choice of treatment mainly depends on the tumor’s location, general health, tumor’s size and the extent of the cancer spread. There are three combinations of treatments:
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Surgery where the tumor in the mouth or throat is removed, same goes for the neck’s lymph node or mouth and neck’s tissues. It may respond well with radiation therapy or surgery alone.
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Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and only affects the cells on treated areas. It’s used for patients who cannot have surgery or have tumors. It’s used to destroy deadly cancer cells remaining in the area, There are two types of radiation therapy: Internal/Implant radiation (radiation comes from radioactive material placed in needles, seeds, or thin plastic tubes put straight in the tissue) or External radiation (radiation comes from a machine).
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Chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells with the use of anticancer drugs. It can affect cancer cells in the body by entering the bloodstream. It may apply in an outpatient through injection.
