Oral Cancer Patients

Oral cancer can affect any part of the mouth, including the tongue and lips. The most common symptoms are having a sore or ulcer for more than three weeks. You should see your dentist or doctor if you have any symptoms in your mouth that are unusual. The outlook for people with mouth cancer is very good if it is diagnosed early. Book an eary appoitment with Prof. Dr. Rohit Malik at Delhi Dental Hub for early detection and treatment.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease of the cells in the body. The body is made up from millions of tiny cells. There are many different types of cell in the body, and there are many different types of cancer which arise from different types of cell. What all types of cancer have in common is that the cancer cells are abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.A malignant tumour is a lump or growth of tissue made up from cancer cells which continue to multiply. As they grow, malignant tumours invade into nearby tissues and organs, which can cause damage.

Malignant tumours may also spread to other parts of the body. This happens if some cells break off from the first (primary) tumour and are carried in the bloodstream or lymph channels to other parts of the body. These small groups of cells may then multiply to form secondary tumours (metastases) in one or more parts of the body. These secondary tumours may then grow, invade and damage nearby tissues, and spread again. Some cancers are more serious than others, some are more easily treated than others, some have a better outlook (prognosis) than others.

What is mouth cancer?

Mouth cancer is a cancer that can develop in any part of the mouth, including the tongue, the gums, the palate (roof of the mouth), under the tongue, the skin lining the mouth or the lips. Mouth cancer is also sometimes called oral cancer. Although mouth cancer is uncommon in India, it seems to be getting more common because of practicing habits among our population. It is twice as common in men as it is in women and is rare in people aged under 40. Many cases are diagnosed by dentists rather than doctors.

What causes mouth cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply out of control.

Some people develop mouth cancer for no apparent reason. However, certain risk factors increase the chance that mouth cancer may develop.

These include

• Smoking. Mouth cancer is just one cancer which has a much higher incidence in smokers than in non-smokers
• Alcohol. Drinking a lot of alcohol can increase your risk of developing mouth cancer
• Chewing tobacco or the betal leaf
• The human papillomavirus (HPV) may increase your risk of mouth cancer
• There are some conditions affecting the mouth, such as leukoplakia and erythroplakia, which can increase the risk of a cancer developing
• Mouth cancer is not hereditary, so does not run in families

What are the symptoms of mouth cancer?

The most common symptoms of mouth cancer are a sore or ulcer in the mouth that does not heal, and pain in the mouth that does not go away. In many cases, changes are seen in the mouth before the cancer develops. This means that early treatment of these changes will actually prevent a cancer developing.

Other symptoms include:

• White patches anywhere in your mouth (leukoplakia)
• Red patches anywhere in your mouth (erythroplakia)
• A lump on the lip, tongue or in the mouth or throat
• Unusual bleeding or numbness in the mouth
• Pain when chewing or swallowing
• A feeling that something is caught in the throat
• Unusual bleeding or numbness in the mouth
• Loose teeth or dentures feeling uncomfortable and not fitting properly
• A change in your voice or speech problems
• Weight loss
• A lump in the neck
• If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, various other symptoms can develop
• All of these symptoms can be due to other conditions, so tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis

Note: any ulcer in the mouth that does not heal after three weeks should be checked by your dentist or doctor.

How is mouth cancer diagnosed and assessed?

To confirm the diagnosis
It is likely that you will need a biopsy. A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then looked at under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. Results of a biopsy can take two weeks.