Cancer caused in oral cavity or mouth is known as mouth cancer. Very often cancerous growth is observed in lips and tongue. Sometimes it may also be seen in cheeks, gums, and palates. The cells called squamous cell causes mouth cancer which is carcinogenic.
It has great chance to spread quickly to other parts, if not treated properly. The major causes for getting oral cancer are smoking, chewing tobacco, increased alcohol intake. Sometimes weakened immunity, poor dental hygiene and HPV infection may also cause mouth cancer.
The person affected with this disease will have sore, lump or lesions on the mouth and may have problem in eating and drinking. He may also experience pain and difficulty in swallowing due to throat pain.
The doctor will physically examine the individual for checking the presence of cancerous growth in the mouth. He would also ask the patient to undergo gum biopsy to confirm the disease. For mild forms of mouth cancer, radiation and chemotherapy is done. In severe cases, surgery is the only method to remove tumors in mouth.
What Is Mouth (Oral) Cancer ?
Any tumor(s) growing in the oral cavity, pharynx or throat can be described as mouth cancer. Each year around 50,000 fresh cases are diagnosed in the America out of which more than 9,580 are mortal. And the survival for others will be little lower than 5 years. The number of people with mouth cancer is steadily increasing each year.
Mouth Cancer (Oral Cancer) Statistics
Among all head and neck cancers diagnosed, mouth cancer is about 82% being the leading cause of death. The rate of death owing to oral cancer is only because the cancer can be diagnosed only in the advanced stages where it has metastasized to other parts.
Until now no screening tests or program is available to detect oral cancer in early stage. Another factor for huge number is a virus, called HPV16 that accounts for high incidence of mouth cancers in the oropharynx area and in the tonsils.