RGCIRC Team

Mouth Cancer

15 June, 2020

Understand about Oral/Mouth Cancer

Mouth cancer, also called oral cancer, occurs when there is a growth of abnormal cells inside your mouth. It can occur on the inside of the cheeks, tongue, lips, or gums. The tumour may also develop in the tonsils at the back of the mouth, salivary glands or pharynx. Mouth cancer is categorized under oropharyngeal cancer. This deadly disease is more likely to affect men than women.

If there is a delay in the treatment, it could turn fatal.Therefore, it is necessary in such cases to get mouth cancer treatment as early as possible.

Symptoms of Mouth Cancer

At the onset of mouth cancer, there are usually no symptoms. However, with time, you may start experiencing certain signs. Out of all the symptoms, the most common are the following:

  • Mouth ulcers that do not heal even after a long time
  • Red or white patches inside your mouth
  • Difficulty in swallowing or painful swallowing

The other symptoms are as follows:

  • Lumps in the mouth that do not go away
  • Numbness in the mouth
  • Teeth become loose
  • Bleeding in the mouth
  • Having difficulty or struggling to move the jaw and tongue
  • Swelling inside the jaw
  • Pain in the mouth
  • Change in the voice and strainingto speak
  • Lumps in the lymph glands of the neck that do not go away

There is a good chance that some of these symptoms may not be symptoms of cancer. However, it is still advisable to consult a doctor.

What Are the Causes of Mouth Cancer?

There might be some similarities between the symptoms of blood cancer and mouth cancer, but the causes are entirely different for mouth cancer. Any kind of cancer is caused when there is an unusual growth of cells due to a genetic change in the body. The principle element responsible for such genetic changes in all forms of cancer is carcinogens. Carcinogens contain chemicals that can disturb the metabolic processes of a cell and change the DNA, thus leading to cancer.

The common carcinogens that cause mouth cancer are alcohol and tobacco. Therefore, if you are a smoker or consume alcohol or do both, the chances of being affected by mouth cancer are higher. Hence, it is advised not to get addicted to smoking or consuming alcohol. Chewing tobacco or betel nuts could also result in mouth cancer. It could also occur due to Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

Also Read: HOW LONG CAN SOMEONE LIVE WITH UNTREATED MOUTH CANCER?  

Mouth Cancer Treatment Options Provided by Specialist

Mouthcancer treatment depends on the stage and the type of cancer. There are other factors, such as the age and health of the person and the individual’s preferences.

There are three stages of mouth cancer:

    • Localized Cancer: The cancer has not spread.
    • Regional Cancer: The cancer has spread to nearby tissues.
    • Distanced Cancer: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Depending on the stages, there are different treatments available:

    • Surgery: If the cancer is detected early, you can go with surgery. There is a good chance of curing the disease without recurrence. The treatment involves the removal of the lymph nodes and other tissues.
    • Radiotherapy: In radiotherapy treatment, radiation beams of high energy are aimed at the tumour cells to damage their DNA. This will stop these cells from reproducing.
    • Chemotherapy: In the later stages of cancer, when it has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy is used in tandem with radiotherapy. In chemotherapy, drugs are administeredto kill the cancer cells. The chemotherapy medicines may damage cancer cells, but they can also affect healthy tissues, leading to side effects.
    • Hyperthermia Therapy: In this method of treatment, doctors use heat to damage cancer cells. They heat the affected area above the normal temperature to kill the cancer cells.
Also Read: UNDERSTAND REASONS OF HOW TOBACCO LEADS TO MOUTH CANCER 

Getting the right treatment is essential to help manage and treat the cancer. Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre (RGCIRC). It is a ‘not for profit’ medical facility and research institute and it is the best place you can go to avail treatment for mouth cancer.We specialize in oncology and has nine different departments for different types of cancer. They also offer services like physiotherapy, counselling, pharmacy, daycare, home care, and more.

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