Oral Cancer – Overview, Symptoms, Treatment & Causes

Oral or Mouth cancer is a lump, ulcer or soreness appearing in the mouth. It includes the regions of lips, cheeks, mouth floor, sinuses & pharynx (throat). Here, at Dr. Bhutani’s Dental clinic, we have treated numerous cases of oral cancer & what’s even more surprising is the fact that they are on a rise.

Our dentists have gain widespread experience in the field of dentistry and aiming to give you an insight, they have enlisted the following details about oral cancer.

Detection

Early detection of the disease can be treated. A bit late, and such ulcers spread quickly like wildfire. If you observe constant changes in your mouth like swelling, numbness, sores or even difficulty in eating, make sure to get an Oral Dental Exam.

Main Causes

Our dentists have observed that cancer spreads mostly in men above the age of 40 who have twice the chance of getting affected than women. Cancer occurs when the lip or mouth cells start developing mutations in the DNA which allow the cancer cells to grow. The main causes are:

• Tobacco use: this is the most important factor which includes products like cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, cigarettes etc.
• Excessive exposure of sun
• Heavy usage of alcohol
• Poor oral hygiene
• Chewing betel nuts
• A sexually transmitted virus called human papillomavirus (HPV) induces oral cancer

Symptoms of Mouth Cancer

• Loose teeth
• Unnecessary bleedings or numbness
• Swelling or lump formations
• Development of velvety white or red patches in mouth
• Tongue or jaw pain/stiffness
• Radical weight loss
• Stable sores in face, mouth or neck (for more than 2 weeks)
• Ear pain
• Chronic sore throat or change in voice
• Difficulty in chewing or swallowing

Treatments

With best equipment’s and world-class technology, we treat our anxious patients up to their satisfaction. There are multiple types of treatments and depending on the stage (from Roman numeral I to IV) & the patient’s needs, our dentists finalize a treatment.

1. Surgery – There are 3 types of surgeries: removing tumour, removing the cancer spread in the mouth and reconstructing mouth. However, there is risk of bleeding and infection in surgeries.
2. Radiation Therapy – High-energy beams like X-rays are used to kill cancer cells. It’s a very effective treatment for early-stage cancer & sometimes combined with chemotherapy (chemoradiation).
3. Chemotherapy – If cancer grows back after surgery and radiation therapy (advanced stage), specific drugs & chemicals are used to kill cancer cells.
4. Biological Therapy or Targeted Drug Therapy – There are some naturally-occurring substances like Cetuximab or Erbitux that affect the way cancer cells grow and divide (control).