Oral cancer affects parts of the mouth including the tongue, lips, palate, throat, inside the upper and lower mouth, cheeks, sinuses, tonsils, gums, or within salivary glands. These oral parts develop symptoms like a growth or sore spot that increases in size and coloring. Oral cancer is one of several types of cancers that are grouped with head and neck cancers, which are treated similarly. The factors involved in causing oral cancer mainly involved lifestyle choices and cancerous mutations forming near or around the mouth.

Oral cancer can form as a result of the following risk factors:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Excessive tobacco use
• Human papillomavirus infection (HPV)
• Inherited family cancer of the head and neck
• Over-tanning
• Prolonged sun exposure
• A weak immune system, like having HPV

1. Lifestyle changes

Naturally, there are changes in our lifestyle that can decrease the chances of illnesses forming if we take action, like quitting smoking, stopping or lessening your daily alcohol intake, use sexually protective devices to prevent human papillomavirus HPV infection. Also, protecting against harmful solar rays when outdoors and limiting the amount of time you spend on indoor tanning beds.

2. Stages of oral cancer

Much like other types of cancer, oral cancer has stages. There is stage 1 where oral cancer has just been diagnosed, it is small in size and confined to one part of the oral cavity. In stage 2, the cancerous spot has increased in size but it has not affected other oral areas. Stage 3 cancer when the cancer begins affecting nearby oral tissues. Stage 4 is the worst and it occurs when the cancer cells have grown exponentially and have dangerously spread to the upper parts of the body.

3. Cancer screening tests

To determine what type of mouth cancer exists, physicians conduct several tests to determine the type of aggressive treatment to begin. The tests conducted for patients include MRI testing, CT scan testing, X-rays, and a positron emission tomography scan that uses radioactive tracing drugs. All tests help to reveal scans of oral tissues, blood vessels, bones, and organs to detect any abnormalities around the head and neck.

4. Symptoms

There are many symptoms that indicate something is wrong. The following symptoms don’t specifically indicate mouth cancer, but any oral discomfort should be brought to the attention of your physician. If your voice is hoarse for long periods, you especially have to quit smoking. Or if you develop lesions or sores that don’t heal, trouble swallowing, or consistent pain in the ear or neck.

5. Treatments

In this new generation of advanced technology, cancer diseases are being globally addressed with treatments that are helping patients to live a better life. Oral cancer treatments include the following:

• Chemotherapy/Radiation Therapy

Scientists have discovered that damaged oral cancer cells recoil at high levels of radiation. A series of radiation beams target tumor cells destroying their ability to grow. Depending on the stage of oral cancer diagnosed, radiation is delivered inside the mouth and the outside. Radioactive needles are also used to destroy oral tumors.

• Surgery

By its very nature, surgery is an aggressive form of removing cancerous tumors inside the mouth or surrounding affected organs. Surgical procedures remove damaged tumors wherever they may reside. If the tongue is affected, all of the tumor and perhaps part of the healthy tongue tissues must be removed. Following many oral cancer surgeries, patient’s must undergo reconstructive surgery and/or dental implants.