My dad is diagnosed with oral cancer

My dad has been battling with abnormal swelling in his mouth for over one year now, and he has been undergoing treatment. Recent investigations revealed cancer cells in the swelling and our doctor confirmed that he has oral cancer, and will undergo surgery. Please shed more light about oral cancer. Bendict V. Oral cancer can […]

My dad has been battling with abnormal swelling in his mouth for over one year now, and he has been undergoing treatment. Recent investigations revealed cancer cells in the swelling and our doctor confirmed that he has oral cancer, and will undergo surgery. Please shed more light about oral cancer.

Bendict V.

Oral cancer can be defined as “cancer anywhere in the front of the mouth. It includes any cancer on the lips, tongue, inside surface of the cheeks, hard palate (the front of the roof of the mouth), or gums. Cancers in the back of the mouth, such as on the soft palate (the back of the roof of the mouth) or the back of the throat, are not considered oral cancer. Oral cancer occurs more often in men than in women. The number of new cases of oral cancer has been slowly decreasing over the past two decades. 

Symptoms of oral cancer include: 

1. A mouth sore that doesn’t heal. 

2. An area in your mouth that becomes discolored and stays that way. 

3. A lump or thickening in the cheek that doesn’t go away.

4. A sore throat that doesn’t go away.

5. Voice changes. 

6. Trouble chewing or swallowing. 

7. Trouble moving your jaw or tongue.

8. Loose teeth.

9. Numbness in the tongue or another part of the mouth. 

10. Pain around the teeth or in the jaw. 

11. Pain or irritation in the mouth that doesn’t go away.

12. Unexplained weight loss. 

13. Swelling in the jaw.

14. A lump or mass in the neck.

15. The constant feeling that something is caught in the  throat. 

Many of these symptoms could also happen without having oral cancer.

Diagnosis

1. Diagnosis starts with a physical examination. Whether or not you have symptoms, your doctor or dentist should look for abnormal spots in your mouth during a routine visit. Your doctor may feel for any lumps or masses. 

2. If your doctor suspects a problem, you may need to see an oral surgeon or an ear, nose and throat surgeon. To test for cancer, the surgeon will do a biopsy, which involves removing a small piece of tissue from the abnormal area. The tissue is then examined under a microscope. After the diagnosis is made, your doctor will determine if the cancer has spread beyond the oral cavity with other tests. 

Prevention

The biggest risk factors for oral cancer are smoking and using smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco). Drinking alcohol is another big risk factor. If one smoke or chew tobacco and drink alcohol, risk is even higher. 

Cancer of the lip is linked to too much time in the sun. If one is outside a lot, especially as part of job, take these steps to protection:

1. Try to avoid the sun during the midday hours, when it’s strongest.

2. Wear a wide-brimmed hat.

Treatment

1. Treatment depends on where the cancer started and its stage. Surgery, the most common treatment, involves removing the tumor and some healthy tissue around it. In many cases, the surgeon can remove the tumor through the mouth. But sometimes, the surgeon will need to remove the tumor through the neck or jaw. If cancer cells have spread into the lymph nodes, the surgeon will remove them to try to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. 

2. Radiation therapy is the primary treatment for some small tumors. It uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. 

3.Doctors may prescribe chemotherapy to shrink tumors before surgery. If a tumor is too large to be operated on, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can ease symptoms.