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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Open Your Mouth and Check for Cancer

If you have a mirror close to you, reach for it and say “aaah!” Open your mouth and check if there are sores. Now if you see some, go to your doctor and have them checked. Oral cancer is a cancerous tissue in a person’s mouth. This is caused by metastasis from a nasal cavity, lymphoma from the tonsils or melanoma affecting the cells of the mucus in the mouth.

The most common oral cancer is the sqaumous cell carcinoma which begins in the tissue located in the line of the mouth and the lips. This is because oral cancer often revolves around the tissue of the tongue or the lips.

Oral cancer may also take place on the floor of the mouth, gums and cheek lining. Sometimes, it can also be located at the palate or the roof of one’s mouth. Squamous cell carcinoma are malignant and have the tendency to spread quickly.

The cause of mouth cancer is still being researched on. There are lot of possibilities how one can incur the disease. One of which is if he has the history. Like lung cancer, oncogenes are activated when DNA mutates.

Like lung cancer, smoking especially tobacco smoking, can also lead to mouth cancer. To elaborate more, heat from cigars, cigarettes and tobacco pipes can irritate the mouth’s mucous membrane. Chewing tobacco can also create irritation on the oral membrane, and recent studies have given more credit to chewing tobacco and snuff to causing mouth cancer in prolonged users.

If smoking is not enough, alcohol is also an activity associated to mouth cancer. A person is at a high risk to have oral cancer if he drinks and smokes heavily. Their risk is double than a heavy smoker or a heavy drinker.

If one is wearing dentures or fillings, one must always consult his dentist because if these aren’t cared for, then luekoplakia can occur. Luukoplakia is an infection in the mouth due to dirt seeped into the gums from fillings or dentures.

Studies show that men are more prone to oral cancer than women. These men are beyond 40 years of age.

The symptoms of mouth cancer are:

- Lump or skin lesion on the tongue, lip or any area of the mouth

- These lumps are usually small and often pale in color. Sometimes is could be discolored or just plain dark.

- It could also come in the form of a hard-edged crack in the tissue of the mouth

- Most of the time, this goes unnoticed because it is painless but as time progresses when the tumor is at its extreme stages, burning sensation in the mouth may occur.

A person must also check if they have:

- mouth sores

- tongue problems such as the abnormal aftertaste of the food he eat

- a difficult time swallowing

If the condition of the patient takes a downward turn, the treatment is for the surgical excision of the tumor. But that is if it is small enough. If not, radiation therapy is the alternative way. If it is an advanced tumor, the treatment is chemotherapy. But the chemotherapy for oral cancer is a combination of both surgery and radiation therapy.

Because of the side effects that can occur during surgery for larger cancers, the structure of the neck and head must be taken care of. That is required to give a functional result.

Those who can survive oral cancers are 50% for those who have theirs at the advanced state. Those who are in stage 1 are 90%, that is why early detection helps in the survival of those afflicted.

Rehabilitation follows after cancer treatment. These are movement, swallowing, chewing and speech exercises. These can help the patient use their mouth in a normal way again.

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