Oral Cancer

Cancer that develops in the mouth, including the lips, gums, and tongue.

Cancer Treatment

Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world. Oral cancer or mouth cancer arises in the tissues of any part of the mouth when cells develop mutations in their DNA, making the cells grow and divide abnormally, leading to the formation of tumours.

With time the tumour may spread inside the mouth and the other areas of the head and neck.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer:

Soreness in lip /mouth which is persistent without the capability to heal
Persistent Swelling/ lump in the mouth
Abnormal bleeding in the mouth
Persistent White/ red patch in tongue, gums, buccal mucosa
Progressive voice change

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Types of Oral Cancer

Based on the cell of origin, oral cancer can be divided into:

What are the risk factors of Oral Cancer?

The factors that increase the risk of mouth cancers are as follows

Tobacco use in any form-Smoking Cigarettes/ Beedi, Chewing tobacco, Snuffs, Gutkha, Pan masala.
Excessive alcohol consumption
Family history of cancer
Excessive sun exposure
HPV or Human papillomavirus infection

What can I do to Prevent Oral Cancer?

Most of the oral cancers are preventable. Some measures that you can take to prevent these cancers are:

Avoid tobacco use/ smoking.
Avoid drinking alcohol.
Eat a healthy diet.
Avoid overexposure to sunlight
Drink plenty of water and fresh juices
Do regular self-examination of your oral cavity.
Periodical check-ups regularly with dentists/oncologists.

What are the stages of Oral Cancer?

The Oral cancer is staged as follows to make treatment decisions:

How is Oral Cancer treated?

The treatment choice depends upon the type of oral cancer, test results and the stage of oral cancer. The objective of treatment is to cure, control or help ease the impact caused by cancer.

How is Oral Cancer diagnosed?

Oral cancer is often diagnosed during routine dental exams/oral screening examinations. If the symptoms align with those of oral cancer our specialist gains insights into your entire health history, symptoms, risk factors, family history of disease and conducts a thorough physical examination and recommends screening procedures.

Physical examination: Our cancer specialists look for lumps or abnormal tissue changes, any sore or discoloured tissues in your lips, oral cavity, face, head and neck.

Investigations

Biopsy: Biopsy is the only definitive way to confirm cancer. Tissue samples are collected from the suspected area using a small scalpel/surgical blade and inspected for the presence of cancer cells in our pathology labs with a turnaround time of 3 to 5 days for the test results. After the diagnosis of oral cancer, additional tests are taken to determine the cancer staging and your overall health. The following screenings and tests are performed to check inside your mouth, throat and neck regions.

Video-directed laryngoscopy: A well-lighted, small and flexible camera is inserted through your throat by our cancer specialist to look for abnormal indications.
Imaging: It is an essential tool in the management of oral cancer with the protocol involving taking images of the primary site and eliminating the suspicion of the spread of cancer cells to distant organs using:
- CT scan of Head & Neck [CECT]: This procedure is affordable, quick, non-invasive and easy to perform and involves taking cross-sectional images of your body on various planes. It provides a clear picture of the appearance of tumours, their extension to the lymph nodes, surrounding tissues and bones.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging[MRI]: The advantage of the MRI procedure is that it emits less radiation than a CT scan and provides enhanced imaging of soft tissues. The disadvantage is that it cannot be performed on individuals with pacemakers, prosthetic cochlear implants or other metal implants.
- Positron Emission Tomography Scan[PET/CT]: PET scan is a specialized imaging technique which uses short-lived radioactive drugs to produce 3D coloured images. It measures metabolic activity and the function of tissues. It helps to determine the growth and type of the tumour. The radioactive drug accumulates in certain tissues, emitting positrons, which are detected and examined to provide the exact disease status.
- It allows cancer specialists to thoroughly examine the whole body, including the primary area where cancer cells originated, Lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. Erode Cancer Centre Namakkal has a dedicated CT/ PET-CT machine which provides a one-stop solution for all imaging/staging procedures.