Description

The mouth cancer is a growth of cells that begins in the mouth. Mouth cancer can occur in any of the parts that make up the mouth. Mouth cancer can occur on the:

  • On the lips.
  • The gums.
  • In the tongue.
  • Inner lining of the cheeks.
  • The roof of the mouth.
  • Floor of the mouth.

The mouth is also called the oral cavity. The cancer that occurs in the mouth is sometimes called oral cancer or oral cavity cancer.

The mouth cancer is one of several types of cancer that are considered to be types of head and neck cancer. Mouth cancer and other head and neck cancers often have similar treatments.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of mouth cancer may include:

  • A lip or mouth sore that doesn't heal.
  • A white or reddish patch on the inside of the mouth.
  • Loose teeth.
  • A growth or lump in the inside of the mouth.
  • Pain in the mouth.
  • The ear pain.
  • Difficulty or pain when swallowing.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with a doctor, dentist, or other health care professional if you have any symptoms that worry you.

Causes

It's not always clear what causes cancer of the mouth. This type of cancer begins as a growth of the cells in the mouth. It is most often begins in the cells called squamous cells. These are flat, thin cells that line the lips and inside the mouth. The majority of oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

Mouth cancer occurs when the cells in the lips or in the mouth develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA tells the cells to grow and multiply at a set rate. The DNA also tells the cells to die at a set time.

In cancer cells, changes in DNA to give different instructions. The changes tell cancer cells to grow and multiply quickly. Cancer cells can continue living when healthy cells would die. This makes too many cells.

The cancer cells may form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. At the time, cancer cells can break off and spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastatic cancer.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of mouth cancer are:

The use of tobacco

All forms of tobacco increase the risk of cancer of the mouth. This includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco and snuff.

Drinking alcohol

Frequent and excessive consumption of alcohol increases the risk of mouth cancer. The use of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk even more.

The excessive exposure to the sun in the lips

Ultraviolet light from the sun and sunlamps and tanning booths increases the risk of cancer in the lips.

Be exposed to the human papilloma virus

The human papilloma virus, also known as HPV, is a common virus that is spread through sexual contact. For most people, it causes no problems and goes away on its own. For others, it causes changes in the cells that can lead to many types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth.

A weakened immune system

If the body's germ-fighting immune system is weakened by medications or disease, there may be an increased risk of cancer of the mouth. People with a weakened immune system include those who take medications to control the immune system, such as after an organ transplant. Certain medical conditions, such as infection with HIV , can also weaken the immune system.

Prevention

There is a proven way to prevent oral cancer. However, you can reduce your risk of mouth cancer if you:

Do not use tobacco

If you don't smoke, don't start. If you currently use tobacco of any kind, talk with your health care team about strategies to help you quit smoking.

Limit the consumption of alcohol

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

Avoid excessive exposure to the sun to your lips

Protect the skin of your lips from the sun by staying in the shade when possible. Wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers your whole face, including her mouth. Apply a sunscreen lip products for sun protection.

Consider the HPV vaccine

To receive a vaccine to prevent HPV infection may reduce the risk of HPV-related cancers, such as cancer of the mouth. Ask your health care team if the HPV vaccine is right for you.

Have regular health and dental exams

During your appointments, your dentist, physician, or other member of your health care team can check your mouth for signs of cancer.

Diagnosis

From the mouth of a diagnosis of cancer may begin with an examination of the lips and mouth. A health professional may remove a sample of tissue for testing to see if you have cancer of the mouth.

Examination of mouth cancer

In a physical examination of the mouth cancer, a health care professional it looks and feels on your lips and mouth. That person for lumps and areas of irritation. White patches in the mouth called leukoplakia, and ulcers may be early signs of cancer.

The mouth cancer biopsy

If relative is in a test, the next step could be an oral cancer biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. For a mouth cancer biopsy, a health care professional can use a cutting tool to cut some in relation with the tissues of the mouth.

In the laboratory, the tests can check the tissue for signs of cancer. Other tests can detect changes in the DNA inside the cancer cells. The results of these tests can help your health care team to make a plan of treatment.

Staging of cancer of the mouth

Your health care team may do other tests to see if the cancer has spread beyond the mouth. Your health care team can use the results of these tests to give your cancer a stage. The scenario tells your health care team about the extent of the cancer and the prognosis. It also helps to guide the treatment plan.

Mouth cancer staging tests may include:

  • The use of a small camera to look at the throat. During a procedure called endoscopy, a professional of the health passes a thin, flexible tube equipped with a camera through the throat. The procedure helps the health professional to look for signs that the cancer has spread beyond the mouth.
  • Imaging tests. A variety of imaging tests can help to see if the cancer has spread beyond the mouth. Imaging tests may include x-rays, computed tomography , magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scans, also called PET. Not everyone will need every test. Your health care team decide which tests are necessary according to your condition.

The mouth cancer stages range from 0 to 4. The lower stage means that the cancer is small and has not grown deeply into the tissue in the mouth. As the cancer grows and grows more deeply into the tissue, the stages get more. A stage 4 cancer of the mouth can mean that the cancer has grown very large or has spread to the lymph nodes. Stage 4 cancer of the mouth can also mean that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Treatment

Treatments for mouth cancer are surgery, radiation therapy, and medications. Drugs that help treat mouth cancer include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. You can only have one type of treatment, or you may undergo a combination of treatments for the cancer.

Your health care team takes into account many factors at the time of the creation of a mouth cancer treatment plan. These can include cancer of the location and how fast it is growing. The team can also see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, and the results of the tests on the cancer cells. His team also considers your overall health and personal preferences.

The surgery to remove the cancer of mouth

During oral cancer surgery, the surgeon removes the cancer and some of the healthy cells around it, called a margin. The elimination of the margin helps to ensure that all cancer cells are removed. The extent of the surgery depends on the size of the cancer. If the cancer has spread to the bone, the surgeon may remove some of the bone tissue.

The surgery carries a risk of infection and bleeding. Surgery for cancer of the mouth can affect your appearance. It can also affect the ability to speak, eat, and swallow. Physical therapy and other rehabilitation services can help you deal with these changes.

You may need a tube to help you eat, drink and take the medicine. For short-term use, the tube can be inserted through the nose into the stomach. In the longer term, a tube may be inserted through the skin and into the stomach.

Surgery to reconstruct the mouth

Reconstructive surgery may be needed when the parts of the face, jaw, or neck are removed during surgery. Healthy bone or tissue may be taken from other parts of the body and is used to fill the gaps left by the cancer. This tissue may replace part of the lips, tongue, palate and jaw, face, throat or skin. Dental implants can also be used to replace the natural teeth.

If the reconstruction is used to replace the parts of the mouth, usually done at the same time as the surgery to remove the cancer.

The surgery to remove the lymph nodes in the neck

When the mouth cancer spreads, it often goes to the lymph nodes in the neck of the first. If there are signs that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, you may need surgery to remove some of the lymph nodes, called a neck dissection. Even if there are no signs of cancer in the lymph nodes, you may have some of them removed as a precautionary measure. Removal of the lymph nodes removes the cancer and helps your health care team to decide if you need other treatments.

To reach the lymph nodes, the surgeon makes a cut in the neck and removes the lymph nodes through the opening. The lymph nodes are tested for cancer. If cancer is found in lymph nodes, the other treatment may be necessary to remove the cancer cells that are left. The options may include radiation or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy.

Sometimes, the surgeon will remove only a couple of lymph nodes for testing. This is called a sentinel lymph node biopsy. In a sentinel lymph node biopsy, the surgeon removes the first pair of nodes in which a cancer may have spread. The lymph nodes are tested for cancer. If there is no cancer detected, it is likely that the cancer has not spread. The sentinel lymph node biopsy is not an option for all people with cancer of the mouth. Only to be used in some situations.

Radiation therapy for cancer of the mouth

Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful rays of energy. The energy can come from X-rays, protons or other sources. Radiation therapy for cancer of the mouth is most often delivered by a machine that moves around the body. The machine aims radiation at precise points. This type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation.

Sometimes radiation therapy for cancer of the mouth involves the placement of radioactive material inside the body. This type of radiation therapy called brachytherapy.

The radiation therapy may be the only treatment needed if the cancer of the mouth is very small. Most often, radiation therapy is used after surgery. You can help to kill any cancer cells that may remain. Sometimes, radiation therapy may be combined with chemotherapy. This combination increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy. It also increases the risk of side effects.

If the cancer grows or spreads to other parts of the body, radiation therapy can help relieve pain and other symptoms caused by the cancer.

The side effects of radiation therapy to the mouth may include dry mouth, tooth decay, and damage to the jaw.

You need to see a dentist before radiation therapy begins to be sure that your teeth are as healthy as possible. Unhealthy, teeth may need treatment or disposal. A dentist can also help you to better understand how to care for your teeth during and after radiation therapy to reduce the risk of complications.

Chemotherapy for cancer of the mouth

Chemotherapy treats the cancer with strong medications. Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain. Chemotherapy may enhance the efficacy of radiation therapy, so that the two treatments are often combined. If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, chemotherapy may help to control it.

The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs you receive. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, and hair loss. Ask your health care team to side effects of the chemotherapy drugs that you will receive.

Targeted therapy for cancer of the mouth

Targeted therapy for cancer is a treatment that uses drugs to attack specific chemicals in cancer cells. By blocking these chemicals, the targeted therapy may cause cancer cells to die.

For the mouth cancer, targeted therapy may be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Can be used after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain. It can also help control cancer that occurs or spreads to other parts of the body.

Immunotherapy for cancer of the mouth

Immunotherapy for cancer is a treatment with a medication that helps the body's immune system destroys the cancer cells. The immune system fights diseases by attacking the germs and other cells that should not be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the cells of the immune system find and kill cancer cells.

For the mouth cancer, immunotherapy can be used when the mouth cancer comes back or spreads to other parts of the body.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Quit using tobacco

Mouth cancers are closely linked to the consumption of tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and tobacco, among others. Not everyone who is diagnosed with cancer of the mouth uses of tobacco. But if not, now is the time to stop because:

  • The consumption of tobacco makes the treatment less effective.
  • Tobacco use makes it more difficult for the body to heal after surgery.
  • Tobacco use increases the risk of a cancer recurrence and of developing another cancer in the future.

Quit smoking or chewing it can be very difficult. And it is much more difficult when you are trying to cope with a stressful situation, such as diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Talk with your health care team about your options. This can include medications, nicotine replacement products and advice.

Stop drinking alcohol

Alcohol, especially when combined with the consumption of tobacco, greatly increases the risk of mouth cancer. If you drink alcohol, stop drinking all types of alcohol. This can help reduce your risk of a second cancer.

Alternative medicine

There is No alternative medicine treatments have been found to cure the cancer of the mouth. But the complementary and alternative medicine treatments may help you cope with cancer of the mouth and the side effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue.

Many people with mouth cancer are fatigue during and after treatment. The feeling of being very tired and worn out it can continue for years. When combined with the attention of your health care team, the complementary and alternative medicine can help to relieve fatigue.

Talk with your health care team about:

Gentle exercise

If you receive the approval of your health care team, start with gentle exercise. To add more exercise as you feel up to it. Consider the possibility of walking, swimming, yoga and tai chi.

Stress management

Take control of stress in your daily life. Try stress-reduction techniques, such as muscle relaxation or visualization. Writing in a journal can also help.

Massage therapy

During a massage, a massage therapist applies pressure to the skin and muscles. Some massage therapists are specially trained to work with people who have cancer. Ask your health care team for the names of the massage therapists in your community.

Acupuncture

During an acupuncture session, a trained practitioner inserts fine needles into precise points on your body. Some acupuncturists are specially trained to work with people with cancer. Ask your health care team to recommend someone in your community.

Coping and support

As you talk about your oral cancer treatment options with your health care team, it is common to feel overwhelmed. People who are diagnosed with mouth cancer can be trying to deal with the diagnosis, at the same time they need to make decisions about their treatment. Here are some ideas that may help.

Learn enough about the oral cancer treatment decision

Make a list of questions to ask at your next appointment. Bring someone to help you take notes. Ask your health care team about reliable books or websites to find accurate information. The more you know about your cancer and your treatment options, the more confident you may feel like you are making treatment decisions.

Find a good listener

Find someone who is willing to listen to you talk about your hopes and fears can be useful when managing a cancer diagnosis. This could be a friend or family member. A counselor, medical social worker, or a member of the clergy can also provide useful guidance and care.

Talk with other survivors of cancer of the mouth

Other people with cancer of the mouth can understand what is going on. Ask your health care team about support groups for people with cancer in your community. In the united States, contact your local chapter of the American Cancer Society. Another option is that the online support groups, such as those conducted by the Oral Cancer Foundation.

Take time for yourself

Set aside time for yourself each day. Use this time to take his mind off of his cancer and do what makes you happy. Even a short break to relax in the midst of a day full of tests and appointments can help you cope.

Preparing for your appointment

Make an appointment with a doctor, dentist, or other health care professional if you have symptoms that concern you.

If your healthcare provider feels that you may have cancer of the mouth, you may be referred to a periodontist or an otolaryngologist. A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in diseases of the gums and related tissue in the mouth. An otolaryngologist is a physician that specializes in diseases that affect the ears, nose, and throat.

Appointments can be brief, so it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you prepare, and what to expect.

What you can do

  • Be aware of any thing that you need to do to prepare. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there is anything that you need to do in advance, such as changing your diet.
  • Write down your symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
  • Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements you are taking and the dose.
  • Consider bringing a person of confidence throughout. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who comes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write questions to ask their health care team.

Write down questions to ask your doctor

Your time with your health care team is limited, so preparing a list of questions in order to make the most of your time together. A list of questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For cancer of the mouth, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

  • What can be causing my symptoms or condition?
  • What kinds of tests do I need?
  • What do you recommend for the following steps in the determination of my diagnosis and the treatment?
  • What are the alternatives to the solution that you are suggesting?
  • What do I need to start treatment right away?
  • What are the possible side effects of treatment?
  • I have these other health conditions. How can I best treat together?
  • Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
  • You should see a specialist?
  • Where can I find more information?

In addition to the questions you have prepared, do not hesitate to ask questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care team is likely to ask you questions, such as:

  • When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
  • How the symptoms changed over time?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
  • Do you now or have you ever used tobacco?
  • Do you drink alcohol?
  • Have you ever received radiation therapy to the head or in the neck?
Symptoms and treatment of cancer of the Mouth