If you have been diagnosed with mouth cancer, it is important to understand the risks of the disease. In its most advanced stages, only 1 in 5 people will survive. During this time, there is no cure for mouth cancer, but there are ways to manage its side effects and improve your quality of life. Listed below are some ways to improve your quality of life after cancer treatment. Read on to learn more. Posted on June 28, 2017 by Dr. Ananya Mandal
A biopsy is one way to confirm a diagnosis of mouth cancer. During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed for analysis under a microscope. After the biopsy, the doctor will decide on the best course of treatment for your condition. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments are all options, though the latter are used for the treatment of advanced cancer. If you have cancer that has spread beyond your mouth, your doctor may recommend a combination of these treatments.
Surgery for mouth cancer can be life-altering. In some cases, the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck. Surgery for mouth cancer can be complex. To treat the disease, surgeons may remove the tongue and other parts of the face. If the cancer has spread to the bones and lungs, the surgeon may remove a part of the jawbone. Reconstructive surgery can replace missing teeth. A cancer treatment can also affect how you look and speak.
The spread of cancer in the mouth is determined by diagnostic tests. Diagnostic tests determine the cancer’s stage. This stage describes where the cancer has spread and whether or not it has penetrated the surrounding lymph nodes. The stage also determines whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Although mouth cancer rarely spreads outside of the lymph nodes, it may have spread to bones and lungs. However, the spread of cancer is not guaranteed and can be dangerous for your health.
If the symptoms of mouth cancer haven’t developed into a canker sore, you may have a pre-malignant condition called leukoplakia. A pre-malignant lesion is benign tissue that has a greater risk of becoming malignant. A pre-malignant lesion is characterized by a patch of white or gray tissue in the mouth. It may be difficult to spot early stage mouth cancer, but if left untreated, the cancer could lead to serious complications, including loss of taste and breath.
While many people develop oral cancer because of heavy drinking and tobacco use, there are other risk factors. Those who smoke or drink excessive amounts of alcohol or are infected with certain strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are particularly vulnerable to the condition. In addition to drinking alcohol and tobacco, mouth cancer is also more common in men than in women. It may also be related to alcohol consumption and excessive sun exposure.
