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Over 450,000 new patients are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. Most of them are above 40 years of age. It accounts for 3% of total cancer cases diagnosed annually.
In most cases, it is diagnosed after spreading in the lymph nodes. However, early detection has the chance to save your life up to 84%. If you observe any symptoms, consult a physician at the earliest.
Here we will discuss its symptoms, cause, type, and other details to give a detailed insight.
Oral cancer definition includes malignant growth inside the mouth or throat cavity. It comes under the broader category of head and neck cancer.
Generally, the areas affected by oral cancer are -
According to the American Cancer Research Society, men are twice at risk of oral cancer compared to women.
Some of the most important oral cancer causes are as follows -
There are 4 stages or types of oral cancer, which are in the following table -
|
Oral Cancer Stages & Tumour/Growth Size |
Malignant Reach |
Survival Rate in 5 Years |
|
Stage 1 and 2cm or smaller |
Limited area and not reached lymph node |
83% |
|
Stage 2 and 2-4 cm |
Limited area and not reached lymph node |
64% |
|
Stage 3 and Larger than 4cm |
Reached to one lymph node but no other parts |
64% |
|
Stage 4 and Overgrowth of the tumour |
Reached lymph node, tissues, and other body parts |
38% |
Some of the symptoms of stage 1 oral cancer are as follows -
To detect early-stage oral cancer or take necessary precautions, you must get through a routine dental exam with any dentist or physician. They can conduct screening exams to identify if you are susceptible to it or have any symptoms.
The physician will examine if there is any lump or growth inside your mouth cavity, tongue, neck, and head. Also, they will examine for any sores, discoloured tissue, irregular tissue, etc.
In case of any symptoms, the doctor will suggest the following tests to analyze the spread, stage, and different types of oral cancer -
Mutation of squamous cells is a primary cause of mouth cancer. The mutation takes place in the DNA of the cell. DNA has a set of instructions or signals for the cell to perform activities. During mutation, this signalling system breaks down, and cells grow and divide, leading to the death of healthy cells.
Therefore, the abnormal cells keep on accumulating and form tumours expediting the subsequent oral cancer stages. With time it spreads from the mouth to other parts of the body if not treated early.
Treatments for recovering different types of oral cancer are as follows -
Most oral cancer patients are unable to swallow food or chew it properly. Therefore, their body lacks proper nutrition, immunity defers, and the malignancy becomes more prominent. Doctors prescribe medicines or food supplements that can improve this condition.
Maintaining mouth health is another most important factor necessary for the treatment of oral cancer. Therefore, the treatment procedure focuses on this part.
Drugs are prescribed in the therapy, which binds with specific proteins present in cancer cells. This creates interference in the growing cells of the tumour.
In oral cancer first stage, surgery is an efficient mode of treatment. It removes the malignant cells, lymph nodes, tissues from the affected and surrounding area.
The medicine is given to the patient through oral or intravenous mode, which kills the cancerous cells.
In this therapy, the doctor aims a beam of radiation on malignant tumours continuously twice a day for a minimum of five days and a maximum of eight weeks. In the advanced stage of malignancy, both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are given to the patient.
There are no proven measures or regimes to stop oral cancer. However, avoiding the risk factors, curving out tobacco consumption, adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced diet, and getting a periodical screening may keep you away from this disease.
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Disclaimer #2: This information is added only for informative purposes and collected from different sources across the Internet. Digit Insurance is not promoting or recommending anything here. Please verify the information before making any decisions.
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