Oral cancer: Oral cancer occurs in the cells of the mouth. Oral cancer affects many parts like lips, tongue, tonsils, lining of the cheeks, salivary glands, hard palate (roof of the mouth), soft palate (back of the mouth), and floor of the mouth, gums and teeth.
Oral cancer occurs in the mouth cells. Generally these cells grow and divide into multiple cells and they die when they grow, and new cells take their place. But due to some causes these basic life cycle of the cells gets damage and began to grow rapidly without any controlling limit. These cells form a huge mass of tissue which is called as tumor.
Oral tumors are of two types they are:
• Benign tumor: These tumors are not life threatening tumors. This cancer can be removed easily by surgery process. These tumors grow in single site. They do not spread and invade other tissues around them. The benign tumor cells doesn’t contain metastatic characteristics( spreading nature to other parts of the body)
• Malignant tumor: These tumors are cancerous tumors. They spread to other parts of the body. These tumors can be removed but sometimes they grow back. Malignant tumors invade nearby tissues and organs. These tumors contain metastatic characters.
When the oral cancer cells spreads to the other parts will form a new tumor which has the same characteristic features of the primary tumor. For example, if the oral cancer spreads to the head and neck, the cancer cells in the head and neck are actually belonging to the oral cancer cells. Then this disease is called as metastatic oral cancer.
Oral cancer is one of the cancers classified from head and neck cancers. Oral cancer can occurs in any of the part in the list mentioned above. Most of the time, oral cancer occurs in the floor of the mouth and tongue. Oral cancer cells are called as squamous cancer cells, these cells covers the surfaces of lips, tongue and mouth.
Oral cancer spreads to the other parts of the body through lymphatic system. And from the lymphatic system, lymph nodes carry these cancer cells to various parts of the body. The oral cancer cells travels to the nearby lymph nodes of the neck system.
Oral cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body like lungs ,neck and liver. It has metastatic characteristics like.
Invasion: Malignant tumors invade other nearby tissues life fallopian tube and uterus.
Shed (Break off): Oral cancer cells can break off from the tumor. Breaking of this tumor into abdomen can cause gastrointestinal cancer.
Spread: These cancer cells spread to lymph nodes of pelvis, chest and abdomen by lymphatic system. These cancer cells can also spread to organs like lungs and liver.
Causes for oral cancer:Till now they are no exact causes for the occurence of oral cancer,but the risk factors were identified.
Risk factors for oral cancer:
Cigarette smoking: Cigarette smoking easily lead to oral and lung cancer. In which 87 percent of the cases are related to death cases due to its effect. Oral cancer occurs commonly in both men and women. Smoking also causes pancreatic, stomach, kidney, cervical and leukemia cancer.
Chewing of tobacco: Tobacco chewing increases the risk factor for causing oral cancer. This activity has more adverse effects. Tobacco plays vital role in causing many cancer diseases.
Alcohol: Taking of alcohols will reduce the performance of body immune system which causes the chances of occurring cancer disease.
Age: Oral cancer occurs after the age of 50 years.
Sun exposure: People who face severe blistering sunburns can have the chance of occurring oral cancer. So, sunburns in young age will be a risk factor for casing oral cancer. Due to long exposure to the ultraviolet radiations will increase the chances of having oral cancer. People who stay in the sun for longer time will have more risk factors.
Symptoms and signs of oral cancer:
• Loose teeth
• Bleeding in the mouth
• Lump in the neck
• Pain during swallowing
• Earache
• Sore on lips
• Patches inside the mouth
• Dentures problem
Treatment procedure for oral cancer: Depending upon the stage of the oral cancer, the treatment methods are carried out by the doctor. There are three vital methods for curing oral cancer they are:
• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
Surgery: Surgery is the main therapy for the curing of oral cancer in the early stage. This surgery process is carried by identifying the staging of the oral cancer. Surgery is carried to remove the tumor part in the mouth. During the surgery process the damaged lymph nodes and nearby tissues in the neck are also removed. During some cases, the major portion of other infected organs will be removed for avoiding spreading of the disease throughout the body. Most of the time, patients will be given radiation therapy along with surgery treatment for complete removal of the tumor.
Radiation therapy: This treatment is based on the extent of this disease. Radiotherapy is a process of removing cancer cells by using high intensity x-rays. These high energy x-rays are aimed at the affected part to destroy the cancer cells.
There are two types of radiotherapy treatments they are.
• External radiations: External radiation process is carried out from outside the body. The powerful x-ray beams are aimed at the effected area from outside the body and destroys the cancer causing cells permanently
• Internal radiations: X-ray beams are passed into the body by making some small incisions in the oral cavity. This treatment gives better results than the external radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is one of the treatments useful in killing cancer causing cells by the usage of drugs. This treatment process is carried by either pills or through intravascular injections. The anti-cancer drug enters into the bloodstream and travels towards the damaged tissues and destroys the cancer cells.
Chemotherapeutic drugs attacks the cancer cells by stopping their unusual growth. The nature of this cancer cells were brought to the normal condition by controlling the divisibility of the cells.
The chemotherapy drugs are given in the following form:
• In tablet or pill form(oral)
• By taking injection(Intravenous or intramuscular)
• Injection taking in the (Intrathecal)
This cancer chemotherapy drug can be given at either clinic or at home. The usage of this drug can be daily, weekly or monthly depending on the stage of the cancer and body immune system. Chemotherapy treatment is given by considering the following basis like age, gender, drug toxicity and body weight. The dosage and usability should be carried under proper supervision.
Oral cancer occurs due to unusual growth of cancer cells in the mouth. This cancer is referred as metastatic cancer for its effects and causes. This cancer also causes neck and lung. This cancer can be cured only in the early stage of its occurrence. Oral cancer has many risk factors .Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapies are the treatment methods available for curing oral cancer.
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