Oral Cancers
(Mouth Cancers · Cancer of the Mouth)
In this condition factsheet:
Diagnosing Oral Cancers
Most oral cancers are diagnosed by examining the signs or symptoms, including lumps, ulcers, sores, and abnormal swellings. If your doctor thinks you may have oral cancer, they will examine you and may order more tests that could include X-rays, laboratory tests, ultrasounds, scans, or a biopsy. A biopsy is a small sample of tissue that's been removed so it can be looked at under the microscope.
These tests will help confirm a diagnosis of oral cancer and determine whether the cancer has spread. Oral cancer may spread to the lymph nodes in the neck. It can also spread to the bone, liver, and lungs, but this is not very common.
Since oral cancers can be painless and have no symptoms in the beginning, it's important to have regular oral checkups by your doctor or dentist to catch oral cancer early. When oral cancer is caught early, treatment is more successful.
Treating and Preventing Oral Cancers
By quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake, many oral cancers can be prevented. Staying out of the sun also decreases the risk of lip cancer.
Treatment for oral and lip cancers depends on how far the cancer has spread and on individual needs. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – either separately or in combination.
Surgery is one of the main treatment options for most oral cancers. If the cancer is removed before it has spread to the lymph nodes, the cure rate is much higher. Surgery is also used to remove lymph nodes and to reconstruct areas of the mouth or face after the cancer has been removed
Radiation is used as the main treatment after surgery to help decrease the chance of the cancer recurring. It is also used to treat oral cancer, or to relieve pain for people with advanced oral cancer. The side effects will depend on the area that is receiving the radiation. Some general side effects include feeling tired, skin redness, and mouth irritation. Radiation can also cause dry mouth, which can last a long time. Since radiation can cause dental problems, any existing dental problems are always treated and given enough time to properly heal before radiation therapy is underway.
Chemotherapy is used for cancers that have spread. It may also be combined with radiation therapy to improve its effectiveness when surgery is not an option. Immunotherapy, which uses a person’s immune system to help fight cancer, is also being used to treat oral cancer that has recurred or has spread to other parts of the body. Targeted therapy, which uses drugs that target specific molecules within cancer cells to eliminate them, may be used to treat advanced oral cancers, oral cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, or when other treatments have failed.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Oral-Cancers
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