Symptoms, Causes and Risk Factors of Oral Cancer or Mouth Cancer
Oral Cancer or Mouth Cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that can occur anywhere in the buccal cavity which means it can develop anywhere in the mouth, lips, tongue roof and floor of the mouth, gums, tonsils, and the salivary glands.
Oral ulcers mostly affect people older than forty years and are twice more common in men than women.
It is rarely caused by salivary glands tumor or sarcoma and mostly squamous cell carcinoma.
Symptoms:
In the early stages there are no signs, however, people who smoke or chew tobacco, also people who consume high an amount of alcohol should regularly visit a dentist to get themselves screened for oral cancer.
The symptoms seen in later stages of oral cancer are:
- Red or white patches in the lining of the mouth or tongue.
- Ulcers in the oral cavity do not heal.
- Dysphagia or pain while swallowing food or drink.
- The sensation of a lump or thickened mass in the lining of the oral cavity.
- Teeth become loose without any apparent reason.
- Swelling is present for three or more weeks.
- Pain in jaws.
- Soreness of throat.
- Sensation as if something is stuck in the throat
- The tongue becomes inflamed and tender.
- Hoarseness of voice.
- Persistent pain in the neck or ears, sometimes in both neck and ears.
- Unexplained loss of weight.
- Unexplained persistent lumps in the lymph nodes of the neck which do not go away.
Causes:
The exact cause of oral cancer is not known what triggers mutation in the cells to become cancerous. The things that are considered as causative factors for the development of oral cancer are:
- Consumption of tobacco.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol.
- Consumption of substances that are carcinogenic.
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Risk factors:
The risk factors for oral cancer are:
- Consumption of tobacco
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Chewing betel nut with or without tobacco
- Human papillomavirus
- People who consume snuff which is a form of tobacco that is snorted.
- An unhealthy diet.
- Long-term oral cavity injury, susceptible to develop oral cancer.
- People with a history of cancer.
- Exposure to harsh sun rays
- Weak immune system
- Family history of oral cancer
Complications
Oral cancer is not self-limiting and the treatment should start in the early stages as it becomes very difficult to cure the disease in later stages and the only option is to delay the progress of the disease. Complications that are associated with oral cancer are:
- Change in appearance of the mouth.
- Speech impairment
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Difficulty in swallowing food and fluids.
Prevention:
There is no medically proven way to prevent the onset of oral cancer, but, you can reduce the risk of oral cancer if you:
- Quit smoking tobacco, or consuming tobacco in any form.
- Quit consuming betel nut as it is known to cause cancer.
- Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Avoid sun exposure.
- Visit a dentist regularly.