🎗️ Mouth Cancer (Oral Cancer)
Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer, refers to cancers that develop in the tissues of the mouth or throat. It commonly affects the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate, sinuses, and throat.
🧬 Causes and Risk Factors:
- Tobacco use (smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco)
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, especially HPV-16
- Prolonged exposure to sunlight (lip cancer)
- Poor oral hygiene and chronic irritation
- Older age (usually over 40)
- Male gender (more common in men)
- Diet low in fruits and vegetables
🩺 Symptoms:
- Persistent mouth sore or ulcer that doesn’t heal
- Lump or thickening in the cheek
- White or red patches inside the mouth
- Unexplained bleeding or numbness in the mouth
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving the jaw or tongue
- Persistent sore throat or hoarseness
- Swelling or lumps in the neck (due to lymph node involvement)
🔍 Diagnosis:
- Thorough oral examination by a dentist or doctor
- Biopsy of suspicious lesions
- Imaging tests (CT, MRI, PET scans) to check the extent and spread
- HPV testing for some cases
💊 Treatment:
- Surgery to remove the tumor
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy (sometimes combined with radiation)
- Targeted therapy or immunotherapy in advanced cases
- Rehabilitation (speech therapy, reconstructive surgery) as needed
⚠️ Complications:
- Difficulty eating, speaking, and swallowing
- Spread to lymph nodes and other organs (metastasis)
- Impact on quality of life and appearance