Oral Cancer Symptoms, Treatments, and Diognostics
Oral cancer is the 13th most commonly diagnosed cancer, according to the Dental Association. It can develop in any part of the mouth, internal or external – lips, tongue, cheeks, floor and roof of the mouth, sinuses, and throat. This is why routine checkups are so important. Routine checkups allow our dentist to thoroughly examine your mouth for early signs of development.
While oral cancer is always a concern, you should know that it is rare. Unless you are actively using tobacco products, or have a genepool that has a history of developing it, there is a very little chance you will experience anything close to oral cancer in your lifetime.
However, it is never a bad idea to get your concerns checked at your next dental visit to our office. An oral cancer screening is a routine examination that is done at each dental visit. We educate our patients about the importance of following up with their medical doctor for any visual lesions, lumps, or bumps that may be observed during the screening.
Where is the connection between HPV and oral cancer?
HPV stands for human papillomavirus, and this is a virus that could cause cancer. It's most commonly a virus that could cause cancer in the throat.
Where are the most common areas where oral cancer appears?
The number one area is the tongue, especially the borders, the side of the tongue. It's also very common on the back of the throat or the back of the mouth, the throat, or the lips. You can also find it on the cheeks or on the roof of the mouth. Those are the most important, most common areas. A lump on the gums could be many things. For example, you can have something stuck in there, like a piece of fruit. You can have an abscess from a tooth, and yes, some of it could be cancer. That's why it's so important that as soon as you see something that's not normal, that's out of the ordinary, you go to see your dentist to have it checked.
The first step in screening for oral cancer is the completion of your dental and medical history, which includes a review of:
- General health history, including a list of current medications and allergies.
- Oral and lifestyle habits, with reference to quantity, frequency, and duration of tobacco use and alcohol consumption.
- Symptoms of oral pain or discomfort.
If anything is concerning, we may perform an extraoral and intraoral examination, where we:
- Inspect your head and neck for asymmetry, tenderness, or swelling.
- Palpate the submandibular, neck, and supraclavicular regions for lymph nodes, paying close attention to size, number, tenderness, and mobility.
- Inspect and palpate the lips and perioral tissues for abnormalities.
- Systematically inspect and palpate all oral soft tissues, paying close attention to the high-risk sites for the development of oral cancer including the lateral and ventral aspects of the tongue, floor of the mouth, and the soft palate complex.
What would be the most common early signs of oral cancer that people should be looking out for?
It's usually something in the mouth that doesn't heal. They usually start small, like an ulcer or a blister. It could also look like a white patch or a red patch. Sometimes it can be a lump, and sometimes it can be something painful that just doesn't go away. Sometimes oral cancer, in the very early stages, doesn't give any symptoms at all. That's why it's so important to go to the dentist on a regular basis so they can check your mouth. Sometimes it can give you symptoms, but sometimes you can have it and not feel a thing. Cancer usually doesn't get better; it just stays in there looking like an ulcer, something like a burn, or a white patch or something else. The most important thing is something that does not go away and doesn't heal by itself.
It is important to note that while these symptoms may be caused by other, less serious oral health issues, they should still be checked by our office at your next routine visit. Common symptoms include, red or white spots or sores anywhere in the oral cavity, a sore that bleeds easily or does not heal, a lump, thickening, or rough spot, pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in your mouth or on your lips, or difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking, or moving your jaw or tongue. There are many other symptoms to lookout for, so it is always best to call us for an appointment if you experience or see anything alarming.
What happens if you're diagnosed with cancer?
Unfortunately, oral cancer is not something where you can take a pill and it will go away. Treatment for cancer most of the time, but not all the time, involves surgery. You have to remove the lesion, clean, and remove the cancer from whatever area it is. Sometimes that surgery is followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or a combination of all of that.
How important is it to detect oral cancer in early stages?
It is extremely important. It's a life-or-death situation because many types of oral cancer, if found in the very early stages, can be completely removed. The chances of survival are really high. The smaller the cancer, the earlier you detect it, the better the chances of survival.
On the other hand, if the cancer spreads and reaches the bone, people may end up losing a piece of the jaw, side of the face, the whole tongue, or in some really advanced cases, they may lose their life. It's really important to see your dentist. It's not just for beautiful teeth—it's also for your life. It's important to check and ensure that if there is anything wrong, you detect it when it's small and easy to fix versus once it spreads and becomes a major problem. That's why it's so important. We encourage all of our patients to see the dentist at least twice a year and at least once a year have these oral cancer screenings. If you see something, we can detect it.
Diagnosis
Oral cancer screenings involve an examination of the oral cavity as a whole – not just your teeth. This helps detect cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions. Besides a visual and physical examination of your mouth, our dentist may also use a VELscope. This scope helps us discover oral mucosal abnormalities that may otherwise have gone overlooked.
Treatment
If the early stages of oral cancer are detected, it is typically treated with surgery or radiation. Advanced cases will combine surgery and radiation as the most common treatment. In the late stages, radiation and chemotherapy are the usual combination, with or without surgery.
Prevention
With all cancers, the best way to prevent oral cancer starts with you – avoid all tobacco products, only drink alcohol in moderation, maintain a healthy and balanced diet, and limit your exposure to the sun (this is significantly more important than sunblock, because sunblock can only be as effective as your ability to properly apply it, while limited exposure always works best).