Understanding Oral Cancer: What Your Dentist Wants You To Know
What is oral cancer?
Oral cancer is cancer found in the mouth. To review, cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in our bodies. We generally have cells that are constantly breaking down and building up. For example, if you hurt or cut yourself, your body will heal that area, removing old cells that are damaged or infected and replacing them with new cells. The great thing is that when this happens, if someone is healthy, the replacement of cells stops when the injury has been fixed.
In cancer, cells replicate and grow without control, which is problematic because you want to have the cells you need in the places you need them. If you have too many in one place or cells where they're not supposed to be, that's a problem. Oral cancer is all of that potentially happening within the confines of the mouth.
What causes oral cancer?
Cancer is a hot topic in health nowadays, with a lot of research and experimentation going on to learn as much as we can about it. We know some things about why cancer forms. There are certain things called carcinogens that tend to trigger the formation of cancer. Some common ones are alcohol, nicotine, and potentially drug use, but it can also be triggered by trauma. Sometimes there's a genetic component. If someone in your family has had cancer or tends to be more susceptible to certain kinds of cancer, there is a potential that you can also be more susceptible to that particular kind of cancer.
What are the early signs of oral cancer that patients should look out for?
Oral cancer can appear in several different forms. Sometimes it's the presence of swelling or lumps in areas of the mouth that weren't previously there, pain, or an ulceration in the mouth, meaning a cut or a scrape where the outer layers of your gums, cheeks, or oral tissue are peeling away and you can see the tissue underneath. Sometimes it appears as a color change. Generally, most of the inside of the mouth is either pink or red. If you see areas of white, black, or deep, deep red, those can also be potential signs of cancer. The best way to determine that is to make an appointment and have us take a look.
What are the most common symptoms of oral cancer?
We mentioned some areas or signs that could potentially point to oral cancer, such as swelling, lumps, cuts, or exposure of skin layers underneath the outer skin layer. We can also see it as the buildup of skin layers that tend to be either white or yellow. A lot of times, when we see something that doesn't look ordinary or tends to be out of the ordinary, that's when we potentially get concerned.
What does oral cancer typically look like in its early stages?
Usually, the first stages of oral cancer can look like redness, swelling, or the formation of white striations or lesions on the gums, cheeks, hard or soft palate, or tongue. Sometimes these symptoms can appear, and it's not cancer, but generally, early signs of cancer tend to look like one of these things.
Are there specific areas of the mouth where oral cancer is more likely to appear?
Different kinds of cancer tend to appear in different parts of the mouth. For example, HPV (human papillomavirus) tends to appear towards the back of the mouth in the oropharynx, the area between the mouth and the throat. People afflicted with HPV tend to see lesions on the base of their tongue, the back of the palate, or on the tonsils.
Other kinds of cancer appear more towards the front of the mouth, either on the lips, tongue, sides of the tongue, cheeks, or on the gums, either the hard tissue right up against the jawbone or the softer tissue down in the vestibules on the top and bottom.
Can a lump on the gum be a sign of oral cancer?
A lump on the gum can be a sign of oral cancer, but it doesn't necessarily indicate oral cancer. It's something to be examined and considered, but there are many things that could be causing lumps on the gum other than oral cancer.
What is the connection between HPV and oral cancer?
HPV has been shown to cause oral cancer, specifically oropharyngeal cancer, which tends to appear towards the back of the mouth and sometimes the beginning of the throat, either on the tonsils, base of the tongue, or on the soft palate.
How is oral cancer diagnosed during a dental visit?
We usually diagnose oral cancer either visually during an exam. We'll check all parts of the mouth by feeling it and looking around the lips, down in the vestibules, around the cheeks, and at the tongue on the top, sides, and underneath in the floor of the mouth. Another way to potentially diagnose oral cancer is by taking regular X-rays because sometimes cancers can appear on the X-rays if the jawbones are involved.
What does an oral cancer screening involve?
Oral cancer screenings usually involve a visual exam. We'll look inside the mouth, at the different parts of the mouth, cheeks, lips, gums, tongue, palate, and front of the throat to see if anything looks out of the ordinary. We'll also rely on X-rays sometimes. That's why regular X-rays are important to ensure nothing is there that shouldn't be.
What are the current treatment options for oral cancer?
The first step in treating oral cancer is identifying that it's there. Often, we might look at doing a biopsy if there is a potentially problematic area. Sometimes, beyond that, surgery may be involved to remove the affected part. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be indicated. If we find oral cancer, we will almost always involve a specialist, such as an oral surgeon, to help us manage treatment.
How important is early detection when it comes to oral cancer outcomes?
With oral cancer, the earlier we can find it and take care of it, the better. If we think there is any potential for oral cancer in a patient, we'll want to address it as soon as possible, either by taking more X-rays and scans or referring you to an oral surgeon for a second opinion and/or a biopsy. The earlier we can get it, the easier it will be to treat, and the more likely we'll have a successful outcome.
Thank you so much for joining us. As we've talked about oral cancer today, if you have any more questions, please call our office at (916) 848-2145. We're here to help.