Oral Cancer-Types, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention Of Complications. Oral cancer is a cancer that grows and develops inside the mouth. For example, on the lips, tongue, gums, mouth, walls as well as the palate. This cancer can spread directly to the tissues around the mouth or through the lymph nodes. Among all the cases of cancer that appear, estimated there were only two percent of oral cancer. Therefore,this type of cancer including a rare cancer.
Most oral cancer strikes elderly aged 50-75 years and is more common in men than women. But this cancer can also occur among young adults, mainly as a result of infection with HPV (human papilloma virus human).
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| Oral Cancer-Types, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention Of Complications |
This Type Of Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is the most common is squamous cell carcinoma. Approximately 90 percent of people with this type of suffering cancer of the mouth.
Other types of oral cancer oral malignant melanoma and are adenocarcinoma. Oral malignant melanoma is a cancer that develops from melanocytes. Where as adenocarcinoma is a cancer that attacks the saliva glands.
The symptoms of oral cancer
Such as cancer in General, symptoms of oral cancer are rare and difficult to be detected at early stage. Therefore, we should be aware of the symptoms generally include:
- Mouth ulcers that failed to heal.
- Reddish or white patches in the mouth.
- A lump or thickening of the walls of the inside of the mouth.
- Pain in the mouth, especially the tongue.
- Difficult or pain when swallowing and chewing.
- Shake teeth without a clear cause.
- Changes the sound.
- Having trouble talking.
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
- Jaw feels stiff or sore.
- A sore throat.
Mouth cancer symptoms also tend to be difficult to spot because it is often similar to that of other disease indications are lighter. Stay alert and check with your doctor immediately if any of these symptoms failed to recover over the next two weeks, especially for heavy smokers or who frequently consume the liquor.
Causes and risk factors of oral cancer
Oral cancer is caused by changes in development of the cells in the mouth or lips. The causes behind these mutations is not yet known for sure. However, there are several factors that are believed to trigger the appearance of this cancer. Among these are:
- Using any kind of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco.
- Liquor consumption is excessive.
- Infection with HPV (human papilloma virus human).
- Poor eating patterns.
- Oral hygiene is not maintained, for example letting cavities or gum that experience and infection.
- Chewing the areca nut.
Diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer
In the process of diagnosis, the doctor will ask you the symptoms you are experiencing and to check the condition of your mouth. If the allegedly suffered from cancer of the mouth, you will be advised to undergo a biopsy or tissue sampling to make sure or no cancer cells.
Positive patients was diagnosed with oral cancer will undergo further examination to detect the stadium as well as the level of development of oral cancer he suffered. This procedure can be done through endoscopy, x-rays, MRI scans, CT scans, and PET scans.
By knowing the stadium as well as the level of development of cancer suffered a patient, the doctor can determine the treatment step will need to be done. So also with the patient's medical condition and the location and type of oral cancer he suffered.
The initial stage of oral cancer has the highest possibility to be recovered. While the intermediate stage of oral cancer may be cured. But the advanced stage of cancer of the mouth is generally not curable and handling is done only to relieve symptoms and to slow the spread of the cancer.
Steps for oral cancer treatment include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.These three steps are often combined in order to obtain maximum results.
Early stage cancer of the mouth can be addressed by surgery using a laser beam. This procedure is called photodynamic therapy (PDT). But if the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, then the removal of the tumor with healthy tissue surrounding it need to be done. For example the appointment of a portion of the network on the walls of the mouth, tongue, jaw or even. The doctor will then do are construction operation to return forms part or tissue is lifted.
The radiotherapy is usually used after surgery to prevent a return of the cancer cells.Radiation therapy can be done from the outside as well as in the body.
In dealing with cancer that had already spread widely on the body or high risk to grow back, the doctor will recommend chemotherapy. Drugs used in this process will destroy the DNA of cancer cells so they can't breed. But these drugs also can lower your immune system so that patients are susceptible to infections.
In addition to the benefits of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and potentially cause side effects. Some of these include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, mouth ulcers and mouth ached.
Cetuximab is also sometimes used to treat advanced stages of cancer of the mouth.The use of this medication is usually combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
Cetuximab would attack a protein on the surface of cancer cells to prevent the spread of cancer. But if the patient is not advisable cetuximab can undergo chemotherapy because of specific medical reasons, for example, was pregnant.
The Risk Of Complications Of Cancer Of The Mouth
Each step of treatment certainly has the risk of complications. So too with the handling of oral cancer. Difficulty swallowing and impaired ability to talk is the main complications that can occur after you undergo surgery and radiotherapy.
Difficulty swallowing complications including serious because it can cause nutritional deficiencies as well as trigger pneumonia due to aspiration of food into the respiratory tract and is trapped in the lungs. This complication will generally improve over time as the process of healing and therapy. But there is a possibility the ability to swallow you won't recover completely.
Same is the case with the swallows, radiotherapy and surgery are also potentially cause a disruption in the ability of your speech. Therefore, speech therapy will be very beneficial to restore the ability of your speech.
Oral Cancer Prevention Measures
Because the cause is unknown, oral cancer cannot be prevented entirely. But you can still take these simple steps to lower your risk, namely:
- Quit smoking and do not use tobacco in any form.
- Avoid or limit Your consumption of liquor.
- Apply a healthy diet and balanced, especially by increasing consumption of vegetables and fruits.
- Maintaining oral hygiene, such as diligent brushing.
- Dental health checked regularly, at least once a year.
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