All you Need to Know About Oral Cancer Awareness Month
Oral Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to give you the facts. Did you know that oral cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the world? It’s also one of the deadliest, with a five-year survival rate of just 50%. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the symptoms and risk factors associated with this disease. In this article during Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we’ll discuss what oral cancer is, its symptoms, and how to reduce your risk of developing it.
Signs and Symptoms
Most oral cancers are discovered when they have already spread to the lymph nodes. It is essential to have a regular dental checkup or monthly self-examinations. Signs and symptoms of oral cancer include:
- A sore on the mouth that is not healing
- A growth or lump inside your mouth
- A mouth pain
- Painful tongue
- Ear pain
- Pain when swallowing
- A patch inside your mouth that may appear red or white.
Risk Factors
The most common risk factors for oral cancer are:
- Tobacco use – chewing tobacco or smoking cigarettes, cigars or a pipe.
- Use of alcohol and illegal substances such as marijuana.
- A diet low in fruits and vegetables
- Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun increases your risk if you have a fair complexion or light-colored hair and eyes. Sunlight damages your DNA and can cause mutations in cells which can lead to cancer.
- Having a weakened immune system. If you have HIV/AIDS or are undergoing chemotherapy for another condition, your risk of developing oral cancer is much higher than the average person’s.
- Genetics
Oral Cancer Awareness Month – Screening by a dentist
When you visit your dentist for oral cancer screening, they will first conduct a physical exam of your mouth. This will include your gums, inner cheeks, back of your throat and lymph nodes. If your dentist finds any growth or suspicious lesion, they will perform a brush or tissue biopsy to check for cancer cells. Your dentist might also perform more tests to see if cancer has spread to other tissues or other parts of the body. Such tests include X-rays, CT scans, PET scans, MRIs and endoscopy.
Treatment
The primary treatment for oral cancer is surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Surgery for oral cancer may involve removing or destroying the tumor, lymph nodes, structures immediately surrounding it, and structures compartmental to it. Depending on the type of surgery performed, other tissues may be removed to enable access to the area being explored. If there are signs that any of these structures may have been affected by the tumor, then they will also be removed as part of the surgical procedure. In addition, some individuals may have a parotidectomy – removal of the affected gland – and other procedures to reduce or prevent recurrence of cancer in these areas.
In some cases, a less invasive local excision may be performed. This can remove a tumor and clean a larger area in the mouth with less tissue loss.
To save as much normal tissue as possible, some oral tumors are removed through a combination of approaches. In this way, the cancer is removed as well as any diseased tissues surrounding it, making recurrence less likely. In addition to conventional surgery, a procedure called Mohs micrographic surgery may also be used. In this method, a frozen section of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope. The surgeon then removes any residual cancerous areas that remain before stapling the wound closed with fine surgical staples. By repeating this process of removing sections of the tumor, checking them under the microscope and removing only those areas found to still be cancerous, surgeons can try and remove as much of the cancer as possible.
Final Thoughts On Oral Cancer Awareness Month
Oral Cancer Awareness Month is our time to remind you to have a screening. Getting regular oral checkups for oral health and early diagnosis is vital. To learn more about oral health, visit our website for all orthodontic information for adults and children.
If you are looking for a dental home for your children or yourself, please contact us at Tidewater Family Dentistry or call us at (757) 874-6712 today.
