Oral cancer is still considered to be one of the least known types of cancer. At the same time, however, a relatively large number of people suffer from the disease. How can that be? Due to the limited level of awareness, many of those affected suffer from oral cancer unnoticed. A fatal medical fact that kills many patients diagnosed with oral cancer every year. But if it is detected early, oral cancer can often be completely cured.
What is oral cancer?
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Oral cancer refers to the type of cancer that can affect the lips and the entire mouth. Not like, for example, throat and esophageal cancer, which affects the throat and esophagus.
However, these cancers often mix, which is why they occur more often together. Oral cancer can affect the lips, palate, salivary glands, inner cheeks, gums, and even the tongue.
The lower lip is very often affected. This is the case for almost half of the oral cancer diagnoses recorded in Germany. By the way, men get sick more often than women and according to statistics, oral cancer usually only occurs from the age of 40.
causes
The most common causes of Oral cancer are increased tobacco and alcohol consumption. Especially if you pursue both “vices” or “pleasures” at the same time for a long time, the risk can multiply enormously according to current studies.
People who chew tobacco are extremely at risk. They are even 50 times more likely to develop oral cancer later. Under certain circumstances, however, absolute non-smokers and people who only rarely or never consume alcohol can develop oral cancer.
The causes can be hereditary predisposition as well as environmental and health-related stresses to which the person concerned is or has been exposed for a long time.
Symptoms, ailments & signs
Depending on where in the mouth a cancerous ulcer forms, there is plenty of room for it to expand. Therefore, oral cancer cannot cause significant symptoms over a long period of time. The self-examination of the oral cavity, supplemented by a dental check-up, is accordingly of great importance.
If there are white or gray areas in the mouth that appear raised and may even start to bleed when touched, this could be an indication of cancer in the mouth. In principle, this can settle at any point on the oral mucosa, so you should look at it yourself regularly. Holes in the mucous membrane can also represent a preliminary stage of carcinoma.
In general, symptoms such as burning in the mouth, stabbing pain or occurrences such as the taste of blood in the mouth or visible blood should be presented to the doctor. In the advanced stages, oral cancer spreads further into the oral cavity and often begins to bleed.
The disintegrating tissue can fester and cause a correspondingly bad taste in the mouth and also strong bad breath. But when you think of bad breath, you often think of inadequate oral hygiene or stomach problems. However, bad breath, which occurs repeatedly and over a long period of time despite careful hygiene, should also be discussed with the dentist accordingly.
Diagnosis & course
A timely detection and thus diagnosis of Oral cancer is unfortunately anything but easy. For this reason, the disease often goes undetected for far too long.
Oral cancer begins with minimal sore spots in the mouth that accumulate as the disease progresses. However, these are often combined with inexplicable pain in the entire interior of the mouth and on the lips. This gradually makes chewing, swallowing and speaking more difficult, painful and ultimately almost impossible.
In addition, numbness and swelling often develop as well. Visible tumors are also diagnosed, but not too often. The situation is different with red and white spots on the gums, which are increasingly being traded as signs of oral cancer.
Complications
Oral cancer manifests itself as tumors on the tongue, the roof of the mouth or the jaw and should be recognized and treated early. If the disease is left untreated until the disease is advanced, it can lead to serious deterioration and even death of the patient. At an advanced stage, the cancer can cause swallowing and eating complications, which can make people thin and dehydrated.
Those who receive early treatment for oral cancer have a greater chance of recovery. Older people in particular can expect the disease to worsen. The younger the person is, the better the chances of recovery. After completing oral cancer treatment, some patients develop new tumors; patients of a younger age are often susceptible to lymph node recurrence.
Although oral cancer usually does not cause any problems in the early stages, the complications increase steadily as the tumor grows. In the course of cancer, there are often disorders in the oral cavity, such as hoarseness, bad breath and swallowing disorders. Chest pain and movement disorders of the tongue can also be seen as side effects of oral cancer.
When should you go to the doctor?
If there is swelling in the mouth that occurs after biting the lip or tongue, a doctor is not required. The symptoms usually subside within a few days until they have finally resolved completely.
If there is swelling in the mouth that was not caused by an accident or injury, a visit to a doctor is advisable. A tightness in the mouth, pain or disturbances in the chopping of the food should be clarified by a doctor. If there is bleeding, inflammation or problems with an existing denture, a check-up with a doctor is advisable to find the cause of the symptoms. A sudden hypersensitivity to different temperature influences of the ingested food, a weakness of the usual chewing force or a refusal of the food intake indicate a health impairment. A doctor's visit is necessary because there is a disorder.
In severe cases and if the start of treatment is delayed, the course of the disease can be fatal. For this reason, you should see a doctor as soon as the first irregularities and changes occur. A taste of blood, bad breath, and a burning sensation in the mouth should be presented to a doctor. If there is a weight loss, abnormal behavior or disturbances in vocalization, a doctor is required. Susceptibility to diseases of the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat are further signs of impaired health.
Treatment & Therapy
The right place to go if you suspect Oral cancer is the treating dentist. He is able to initiate all further procedures for diagnosis and treatment. If oral cancer is detected early, it can usually be treated more or less gently and sustainably.
Only in the middle to severe stages does surgery, radiation or extensive chemotherapy have to be resorted to. However, treatment can be difficult, especially in severe cases - because the affected tissue cannot always be safely removed and treated.
That is why it is extremely important to ensure early detection, including when treating oral cancer. Heavy smokers, chewing tobacco users and people who drink alcohol more often should therefore regularly talk to their dentist about appropriate preventive examinations.
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➔ Medicines for smoking cessationOutlook & forecast
The prognosis for oral cancer depends crucially on the stage at which a tumor is diagnosed. Basically, diagnosing a disease immediately after it has occurred has the best chances of recovery. It has proven to be problematic that a tumor in the oral cavity cannot be seen from the outside. The patient himself does not notice white spots. They are mostly discovered by chance by partners or doctors. As a result, unused time often passes in which a treatment could take place. That is why many diagnoses are made late.
If oral cancer forms metastases, the outlook deteriorates considerably. Scientists determine the 5-year survival rate for metastases on the cervical lymph node at 40 percent. For comparison: Without the tumor expanding, around two thirds of all patients are still alive after the fifth year.
Around 13,000 people develop oral cancer in Germany every year. Men are more vulnerable than women. Much poorer chances of a normal life are given to patients who have smoked or consumed alcohol for years. Inadequate oral hygiene and dental care also increase the aggression of the tumor. The prognosis also worsens for old and weakened people.
prevention
The diagnosis Oral cancer The best way to prevent it is to refrain from excessive and long-term alcohol consumption and smoking. Also very helpful, but not an absolutely safe means of prevention, is increased oral hygiene.
Regularly brushing your teeth and using mouthwashes can reduce the risk of developing oral cancer - but not completely rule it out. Nicotine, in particular, is one of the substances that most promote oral cancer when smoking.
And: Regular check-ups at the treating dentist cannot prevent oral cancer per se, but early detection can make treatment much easier, more targeted, more promising and gentler.
Aftercare
After completing the actual therapeutic measures, follow-up care for oral cancer begins. The primary goal is to prevent the disease from breaking out again. In addition, the patient should regain the necessary condition to cope with everyday life.
Medical check-ups are carried out at regular intervals to check the healing process. This procedure gives the doctor the opportunity to identify and treat any consequential damage in good time. A recurrence of the oral tumor can also be diagnosed at an early stage.
The follow-up examinations extend over a period of five years. In the first two years, they should be carried out every three months. From the third year they can take place every six months. In addition to the usual check-ups, regular visits to the dentist are also useful.
Oral cancer often leads to impaired speech and swallowing ability. These are treated as part of the aftercare by physiotherapists and speech therapists. If the patient is threatened with malnutrition, the advice of a nutritionist is recommended. If necessary, this can also be followed by nutritional treatment.
Serious illnesses such as oral cancer often have a negative effect on the patient's psyche. In such cases, psychosocial support is possible. This takes place, among other things, if the person concerned is depressed or has anxiety states.
You can do that yourself
If you suspect oral cancer, you should speak to your dentist. Together with the doctor, a suitable therapy can be worked out through which the cancer can usually be treated gently and sustainably.
In the first stage of the disease, strict oral hygiene must be observed alongside medical treatment. Since there is an increased risk of infection, medicinal preparations should be taken to strengthen the oral flora. With the consent of the doctor, various natural remedies can be tried, such as ginseng or arnica. The diet may also have to be changed. In the case of oral cancer, a gentle diet with sufficient raw vegetables and lean meat that is not too spicy is recommended. At the same time, the consumption of any luxury foods must be stopped. Heavy smokers and people who drink alcohol regularly are particularly susceptible to oral cancer. Likewise people who suffer from a chronic disease of the teeth or gums.
People to whom these factors apply should see a doctor immediately with these symptoms. If these measures are followed, oral cancer can be treated well. The prerequisite for this, however, is that the cancer has not yet metastasized. To ensure this, further physical examinations should take place parallel to treatment.
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