Oral Cancer – symptoms, diagnostics, and treatment

Oral cancer or mouth cancer develops in any part of the oral cavity like the lips, gums, tongue, roof, or floor of the mouth, the inner lining of the cheeks, throat, etc. Cancer starts as a soreness in the mouth or an extra growth that doesn’t go away with medications. Oral cancer can be fatal if not diagnosed at an early stage. However, if caught early it is easier to treat with the many oral cancer treatments in India. A regular visit to the dentist or the doctor will help you to identify any suspicious growth or infection in your mouth and get it treated effectively. The oral cancer treatment in India is much similar to the treatments offered for other head and neck cancers.

Signs or symptoms

If you have any of the below symptoms, it would be prudent to check with your doctor immediately to eliminate the possibility of oral cancer.

1. Soreness in the mouth or lip region and that which does not go away with any medication.
2. A patch in red or white color inside the mouth.
3. Lump inside the mouth or growth inside the mouth.
4. Pain in the mouth or ear.
5. Loose teeth
6. Difficult to swallow or too painful to swallow.

If these signs are persistent and do not respond to any common medications, then you need to consult with a doctor to explore the possibility of oral cancer and find the right oral cancer treatment in India. As with any other cancer, the cause of mouth or oral cancer is also mutated changes in DNA causing an abnormal production of cells that continues to grow and multiply. The most common occurrence of this type of cancer happens in the squamous or the flat and thin cells lining the lips and inner side of the mouth. There is no specific reason found so far on why the cells mutate or what causes these mutations.

Risk factors for oral cancer

While we may not know the real cause for the cells to mutate or grow rapidly, certain risk factors have been identified by doctors as possible reasons leading to oral cancer.

1. Usage of tobacco, of any kind, be it pipes, cigarettes, chewing or snuffing tobacco, or cigars is a high-risk factor for oral cancer.
2. Usage of alcohol
3. When lips are exposed excessively to the sun.
4. HPV or the Human Papilloma Virus transmitted sexually.
5. The immunity system is weak.

While there is no way to prevent oral cancer, it is better to stop using tobacco or alcohol as it can expose your mouth and the cells to chemicals that can induce cancer. Also, a regular visit to the dentist will keep any kind of infection in check and helps in early identification as well.

Diagnosis and oral cancer treatment in India

A physical examination by a dentist will help in the identification of a possible infection, especially for abnormalities like red or white patches, sore areas, irritation, etc. Imaging tests and biopsy is also carried out to determine the possibility of cancer and to measure the spread of the disease. Depending on the location of cancer and the stage of cancer, overall health conditions, and other personal factors, oral cancer treatment in India is mapped out. The treatment plan could be just one treatment or a combination of many like surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgery options involve,

1. Tumor removal surgery is where the tumor and a marginal amount of healthy tissue are cut out to remove all the cancerous cells. This is often performed on patients who have minor tumors and are in the early stages of cancer. In the case of larger tumors, surgery might also involve the removal of a portion of the jawbone and a part of the tongue.
2. When cancer has spread to the neck then surgery is performed to remove the affected lymph nodes and other related areas in the neck. Dissection surgery in the neck removes any cancer that has affected the lymph nodes and it is important to determine whether there would be any additional requirements for therapy after this surgery.
3. Reconstructive surgery of the mouth after the tumor is removed to rebuild the mouth to give the patient the ability to talk and eat. This surgery involves grafts transplanted from other parts of the body, including muscle, bone, or skin, for reconstructing the mouth. Dental implants are also used in place of regular teeth as part of oral cancer treatment in India.

There is a chance of bleeding and infection associated with surgeries and it will impact the ability to eat or drink or talk. The patient may have to rely on a tube for food and medicine intake for some time.

Some of the therapies given to oral cancer patients, either separately or along with surgery include,

1. Usage of X-rays, protons, and other high-energy beams in radiation therapy on the infected area. It is mostly used after a surgery or sometimes independently if the cancer is in its early stages.
2. Chemotherapy or the usage of drugs to kill the cancerous cells is used alone or with radiation therapy or with surgery to effectively combat cancer. It is either given as a pill or through an IV or both.
3. Stopping the protein growth in cancer cells with the use of drugs, in the end killing them effectively, is done under the targeted therapy procedure. The most commonly used option in this type of cancer is Erbitux or Cetuximab.
4. Using the immunity of your own body to fight cancer is done through immunotherapy that is specific to people who do not respond to other treatments. This therapy interferes with the process by which the cancer cells hide from the natural immune system and helps the body to fight the disease naturally.

To get more information on oral cancer treatment in India, you can get in touch with Tripo Heal.