Oral cancer is the cancer of any part of the mouth lips, floor or of the mouth, tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks.
Generally they involve the tissue of the lips and the tongue. It is also called as oral cavity cancer. It comes under the category of head and neck cancer. It can be a primary lesion, a metastasized one from other location or extended from nearby location like nasal cavity.
Alternative names
Mouth cancer, Cancer-mouth, Head and neck cancer, Squamous cell carcinoma- mouth.
Oral cancer is caused due to mutations in the cells lining the mouth. Oral cancers are the cancers of the lining of the mouth; the squamous cell carcinomas and they are malignant and can spread quickly. The exact cause of mutations in squamous cells is not known.
Use of tobacco in any form, lips excessively exposed to sun, alcohol intake, poor dental and oral hygiene, infection by sexually transmitted virus (human papilloma virus) and radiation therapy for any previous head and neck cancer are the risk factors for oral cancer. Chewing betel, paan and Areca can also cause oral cancer.
White or reddish patch inside the mouth, lump or thickening of the lining or skin of the mouth, a sore that is not healing, loose teeth, improper fitting of the dentures, tongue or jaw pain, jaw stiffness, difficult or painful chewing or swallowing, sore throat or feeling of some thing in the throat are the symptoms of oral cancer.
Patch, lump or thickening may be pale or dark colored or discolored. Abnormal taste, tongue problems or mouth sores are additional symptoms that may be associated with oral cancer.
Oral cancer is diagnosed on the basis of physical examination, biopsy of the suspected area, endoscopy to see the throat and imaging tests. The imaging tests include X-ray, CT scan (Computerized tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography).
Treatment for oral cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or targeted drug therapy individually or in combination as per the requirement. The treatment option depends upon location and stage of the cancer, overall health of the patient and personal preferences.
Surgery can be done to remove tumor or the cancer which has spread to the neck or to reconstruct the mouth. Cetuximab is the drug used in targeted drug therapy.
There may be chewing, swallowing or speaking problems due to oral cancer treatment. There may be facial or head and neck disfigurement due to surgery. Radiation may cause dry mouth and swallowing problem. There may be spread of oral cancer to head and neck area.
Quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol, frequent dental check-ups, avoiding excessive sun exposure of lips and eating lots of fruits and vegetables can prevent oral cancer.
