Oral Cancer
Oral Cancer is found on your lips, inside your mouth, or on your throat. Usually, it is found in the front or floor of your mouth, or on your tongue. If detected early, survival rates are good. Unfortunately, this type of cancer is hard to detect because your symptoms can go unnoticed for a long time.
Who is at Risk?
Tobacco users and alcohol users are the populations most at risk for developing oral cancer. Combining alcohol and tobacco increases your chances of developing oral cancer.
The second group at risk are those with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which can be spread through oral sex. The younger population diagnosed with HPV are increasing. HPV could become the number one group of people at risk in the future.
Another group of people with a higher risk of oral cancer are those with a personal history of oral cancer.
If you are in the risk categories, make sure to check your mouth. Dentists are the best detectors for finding cancer in your oral cavity, and they have a better chance of catching it at an earlier stage.
What are the Symptoms?
Inform
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The treatment depends on the stage of cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic website, cancer detected early is usually treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer.
Chemotherapy is another treatment used to kill cancer. Chemicals kill cancer in this treatment. Sometimes combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy make the treatment more
One other major form of treatment would be radiation therapy. The method “zaps” the cancer from the body by focusing on the infected area. It damages the existing cancer cells and discourages new cells from growing. The method of treatment can be given to a patient externally exposing the affected area with high levels of radiations. There are also implants that can be placed under the skin that
The American Cancer Society notes that the average age of people suffering from oral cancers is over 62 years of age. The vast majority of these cancers do not cause pain or discomfort in their early stages so detection is done through regular dental care. When problems are not detected early, the gums receded from the teeth and form pockets that collect bacteria. The gums eventually become sensitive, bleed, impact the underlying bone causing tooth loss, and end up causing disease.
Cancer is a deadly disease that has affected millions of people and their families, including mine. Most of my grandparents have had cancer, and they have all been treated differently. It interests me to see what they have been through. One of the main ways to treat cancer is chemotherapy. There are many types of chemotherapy and side effects of chemotherapy.
No one is immune from the threat of oral cancer, but more often than not, older patients are diagnosed with the disease. Many symptoms—especially those that emerge in less accessible areas of your mouth and throat—are hard to detect on your own, but your dentist can spot the warning signs right away with a thorough screening. Since oral cancer screenings are conducted during each checkup, regular visits are critical to
In the United States alone, an estimated 34,360 people received a diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer in 2007; of these, 7,550 (5,180 men and 2,370 women) died. On average, more than 25% of people who develop oropharyngeal cancer will die of the disease, with only 60% surviving for more than 5 years. In fact, oropharyngeal cancer is as common as leukemia and claims more lives than either melanoma or cervical cancer. Since the mid-1970s, oropharyngeal cancer rates have increased approximately 15%, with significant disparities in some population groups. For instance, oropharyngeal cancer prevalence is significantly higher in males than in females. Prevalence is also higher in Hispanic and black males than it is in white males. The risk of oropharyngeal cancer increases with age, and occurrence is highest in persons older than 50 years and peaks between ages 60 and 70 years. However, there has been a startling 5-fold increase in the incidence of oral cancer in patients younger than 40 years, many of whom have no known risk factors. HPV is associated with 15% to 35% of head and neck cancers worldwide. Fifty percent to 90% of OSCCs in the pharynx, tonsil, and tongue are HPV-positive. Chaturvedi and colleagues investigated the impact of HPV on the
Malignant neoplasm of head & neck (ICD-10-CM - C76.0) – The head and neck cancers start in the mucosal surfaces involving the squamous cells. The cancers are predominant in the mouth, nose and throat. Some of the symptoms include lumps, sore throat, hoarse voice and trouble swallowing. It is noted than head and neck cancers are more common in men that in women. Tobacco use, alcohol intake and infection by human papilloma virus increase the risk of head and neck cancer (Woźniak et al., 2012).
Oral cancer is one of the most common and threatening disease. Thousands have died and are continuing to die today in the United States and around the world. Numerous of people have been diagnosed from oral cancer this year in the United States and other countries like South Asia or in the Northwestern Europe. This typical cancer infused with strength can cause severe pain, discomfort, numbness around and inside the mouth. If the cancer is not treated quickly and properly,the cancer can spread to the body and affect other organs eventually leading to a death road. Oral cancer is sometimes difficult to cure if it's not detected on time in an early stage and it´s important to have precaution and spread awareness for this disease.
Evidence for a causal involvement of HPV in the pathogenesis of OPSCC comes from epidemiologic and molecular studies. The earliest suggestion of a possible link between HPV and squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity (OSCC) was made by Syrjanen et al (1983) where the group observed that some of these tumours have morphological and immunohistochemical features indicative of HPV infection. 59 Subsequent studies have supported the predilection of the virus for oropharyngeal cancers. In two case series (1996 and 1997), 50% and 60% of tonsillar carcinomas were HPV positive, respectively, in comparison to 6% and 10% of tumours at other oral sites.60,61 Additionally, Gillison et al (2000) and Stransky et al (2011) confirmed that the only HNC subsite with a demonstrated carcinogenic role for HPV was the oropharynx.21,62
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research says that almost 40,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year and 7,800 will die as a result of this disease. These are alarming statistics, considering this not only a preventable disease, but one that can be treated successfully when caught early enough.
But this also depends on how far down the generation the throat cancer goes. For example, my great-grandfather had throat cancer. The chance of me getting throat cancer is less likely than it is for my grandmother or even my mother. These are just three of the many possible causes of throat cancer.
Final treatment is the chemotherapy. Chemotherapy consists of the use of medications to get rid of cancer. This method is only used when the cancer has spread within the body. The side effects of chemotherapy can be very serious, but the side effects can also be treated with more medicines. Chemotherapy can be used in surgeries to make sure that the rest of the cancer is destroyed.
Radiation is another type of treatment. Radiation therapy uses a special machine to deliver high energy rays that damage cancer cells and stop then from growing. These rays may be detected in the entire body, or they may be focused on certain area where leukemia cells are collecting.( Disease facts and statistics, 30)
Smoking and alcohol consumption are well established as risk factors regarding oral cancer incidence. Previous studies indicated a possible additive effect of alcohol and tobacco on oral cancer risk, yet no observational studies in the last 25 years have accounted for their interaction. This study was initiated to elucidate smoking and drinking single, joint and interactive effects on oral cancer incidence. A hospital-based observational study collected patient data using questionnaires from 4 Sao Paulo, Brazil, hospitals, November 1998 to December 2008. Patients were recruited based on having squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Using 1,144 cases and 1,661 controls, age, gender and schooling level effects were assessed using logistic regression, and variables with significant odds ratios (ORs) for oral cancer were included in the models as confounders. Individual and joint effects of smoking and drinking on oral cancer risk were also assessed by logistic regression using ORs based on two types of analyses (models). In the first, exposure variables drinking and smoking were treated as binary (never, reference group; ever, risk group), and in the second categorized into three levels (never, reference group; level-1 and level-2, risk groups). Results indicated that independent effect of drinking was not associated with oral and oropharyngeal cancer, while the independent effect of smoking remained significantly associated with the
It represents 2.5% of all oral lesions and is the most frequently observed papillary lesion in the oral cavity (2). The majority of these lesions are associated with varying HPV subtypes and considerable research has been conducted to identify them. It should be noted that not all squamous papillomas have a viral etiology; however, this discussion will focus on those that do. Epidemiologically, HPV is a significant health burden worldwide as well as to the U.S population. Currently, the U.S estimated incidence of genital HPV is 5.5 million, and the prevalence of current infection is estimated at 20 million (3). Assessment of HPV infection is accomplished by HPV DNA detection tests through PCR technique. Data on infection in women is more numerous, due to the availability of standardized methods of mucosal sampling. Detection is essential in infected patients as the majority of cases can appear asymptomatic, (especially in men) with no means of detection physically or cytologically. HPV is a double stranded DNA virus of the papovavirus family containing a single molecule (2). The various subtypes are antigenically distinct yet still retain common antigenic determinants. Proliferation of the virus is dependent on the host cell’s DNA and occurs in the nuclei of the host’s epithelial cells. Expression of the viral genome comes about due to the host DNA
Importance of careful assessment of oral cavity for suspicious lesions for early detection of multiple myeloma.1