If you are diagnosed with any type of Head and Neck cancer, the last person you would think about visiting is your dentist. Most patients are surprised when told that they will have to see a dentist before any cancer treatments can be started. The dentist plays an important role in preventing serious mouth problems before and after your radiation treatments and also helps you maintain good oral health during and after your treatments. Dental problems such as gum disease, cavities, and poorly fitting dentures can get worse during treatments. This will be crucial not only for esthetic purposes but for functionality of your mouth as well. Head and neck cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the United States. It is estimated that …show more content…
The studies found that poor condition of the mouth, poor fitting dentures, and missing teeth were in fact among the causes of oral cancer. There are different treatments for head and neck cancers. Radiation and surgery are major curative modalities with adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced stages. Radiation therapy is indicated in the majority of head and neck cancers because of where the tumors are located in this region and are often inaccessible for surgery. Radiation therapy is the use of high energy x-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells. The radiation may be delivered by a machine outside the body called external-beam radiation therapy, or it may come from radioactive material that is placed in the body near the cancer cells, that is called internal radiation therapy, or brachytherapy. Radiation kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. DNA that is damaged beyond repair stop dividing or die off. Once the damaged cells die, they are broken down and the body eliminates them by the body 's natural processes. Radiation can damage normal cells as well. All the doctors involved in creating a treatment plan for the patient, take potential damage to normal cells into account when planning a course of radiation therapy. All normal tissue has a certain amount of radiation that it can safely receive and tolerate with Gonzalez 3 out complications. Radiation can be used before surgery to shrink
Therefore, regarding early detection of oral cancer, it is prudent that the dental hygienist be diligent in performing a comprehensive head and neck exam on
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
As dental hygienists we are members of the healthcare community. That means that we have an extremely important role when it comes to the health of our patients. When patients present themselves in our treatment room, it is our responsibility to make sure we do not leave anything unexamined. We are professionals in the practice of identifying, preventing, and treating oral diseases. We do this by completing thorough extraoral and intraoral exams and being conscious of what to look for. One particular exam that we do is an oral cancer exam. As dental hygienists we are at the forefront in identifying this disease. In an article written by Nancy Burkhart, a coauthor of General and Oral Pathology for the Dental Hygienist, she states, “It is known that oral cancer is more likely to be detected in an early stage in the dental office than those found at a physician’s office, which tend to be at a later stage.” (Burkhart, 2014) This may be because dental hygienists focus more on the oral tissues than physicians do; or the fact that patients go to a doctor when it is already at advanced stages. It is imperative that we as dental hygienists know the signs and symptoms of oral cancer, as well as the risk factors involved in developing the disease and how it can be prevented. While it is important as a dental hygienist to identify oral diseases, it is more important to educate our patients on how they can avoid any potential abnormalities from becoming severe problems,
2.1.1. Epidemiology Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) is the sixth most common cancer with an annual incidence of ~400.000 cases (Duray et al., 2012)6 and represents about 3.5% of all malignant tumors Siegel et al., 2012). Head and neck SCC is quite heterogeneous and most of the tumors arise in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. Nearly 90% of these cancers are OSCC, which is associated with a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate less than 50% (Osei-Sarfo et al.,
Lastly, there are many treatment options for Craniopharyngioma. Three possible treatments could be surgery, chemotherapy, or even radiation. One possible risk of these treatments is an increased risk of stroke. Radiation uses special tools to send high doses of radiation to the cancer cells, chemotherapy exposes the whole body to cancer-fighting drugs, and surgery removes the cancer tumor and surrounding tissue during an operation. Surgery is the oldest type of cancer therapy and remains a treatment for many types of cancer today including Craniopharyngioma.
Throat cancer Mt Pleasant TX is one of a number of cancers that are highly preventable and highly curable. According to The American Institute for Cancer Research, 63% of mouth pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers can be prevented by making simple lifestyle changes. But statistics that tout the preventability of a certain type of cancer are not much comfort after a diagnosis has been made. If you’ve been diagnosed with a type of throat cancer or you fear you’re at risk, here are some things you should know:
Cancer of the head and neck are diagnosed each year with a high incidence of laryngeal cancer. Maddox and Davies (2012) reported that, “The estimated number of Laryngectomies performed in 1997 was 5,038, this number dropped steadily to a low of 2,966 in 2006 and then rose slightly in 2008 to 3,414”.Men and women both seek surgery to alleviate the problem. Total laryngectomy is undertaken in as many as 50% of patients with a relative survival rate of 52% with no significant
There are several ways radiation therapy can be delivered. Radiation therapy can be external or internal. The most common way is by external radiation in which a radiation is directed at the tumor from a machine (Dollinger, Rosenbaum 62). Internal or systemic radiotherapy delivers radiation by giving a radioactive source intravenously or by injection (62). Depending on the type of cancer, some people are treated with both types of therapy.
I. While we are in class today, 6 people will die from oral cancer. Three out of the four are men between the ages of 25 and 55. Before being diagnosed, these individuals probable ate a good diet and exercised regularly. Most did not use tobacco products and seldom drank alcohol.
People, who undergo treatment for oral cancer, commonly have dental hurdles to overcome as a result of the treatment itself. Swelling from the surgery may last for a few weeks, making movement of the mouth difficult. The NIDCR also warns of oral side effects such as ulcerations that bleed easily and are prone to infection and dry mouth, which can lead to tooth decay or gum disease. And fungal infections often occur due to a bacterial imbalance in the mouth. These complications can make eating, speaking and swallowing difficult, and there may be changes in the way food tastes.
Radiation is a form of energy that can enter the cells in your body. Radiation is used in some common medical procedures. X-rays and gamma rays are some of the most common types of radiation used in imaging tests. These rays let health care providers create images of the organs and tissues inside the body to help them make a diagnosis.
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer of head and neck region.1 Each year it affects as many as 274,000 people around the world and 2-4% in western countries and 40% in Indian subcontinent.2 The incidence of oral cancer has both familial and genetic predisposition. It is commonly associated with the risk factors like chewing of tobacco, areca nut and betel quid. In developing countries this is often an indicative pattern causing high prevalence unlike developed countries where cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption is more common and prevalence is rather less.3, 4 Lack of early diagnosis is another key factor, may be either due to negligence of early lesion by patient or sample examination by health care workers.3 Early diagnosis has shown chances of 5-year survival rate as high as 80% of cases along with decrease in patient morbidity and suffering.3
According to the American Cancer Society (2015a), a total of 589, 430 citizens of the United States are expected to die from cancer this year. In the United States, it is identified as the second most common cause of death next to heart disease. With these facts, there is no doubt that cancer is a serious health condition that many people face today. The term cancer is defined as a “group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells” (American Cancer Society, 2015a). A person dies from cancer once the spread of these abnormal cells is not controlled.
Once a person has been diagnosed with cancer, the person may be advised to generally undergo the following treatment options: radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, or a combination of the three therapies.2 The current issues that are associated with these treatments include low selectivity toward malignant cells, causing damage to healthy tissue and forcing the
Did you know that oral cancer screening is so imperative? If only people got screened regularly, the amount of deaths resulting from oral and throat cancers would slightly reduce. In the US, around forty-five thousand cases of oral cavity and throat cancer are noted every year and about eight thousand deaths result from it. According to studies, oral cancer depends highly upon diagnosis and quick treatment. If it’s found early, agony and deaths it causes can be mitigated. Reputable uptown dentists offer oral cancer scans; so, find a dentist you can trust and get tested.