By Karina Frost


Cancer of the mouth is a very common and yet very serious disease. There are several causes of it, and some people are more at risk than others, for instance, those who are smokers. To protect yourself from this disease, it may be a good idea to check into getting oral cancer screening oregon.

This disease is actually a problem around the world. In many Asian countries, chewing betel or paan is considered to be a risk factor for the disease. In India, this disease accounts for forty percent of all reported cancers. This is significant compared to just four percent of reported cases in the UK.

The disease often manifests as a non-healing sore or ulcer. This basically means an ulcer that is showing no signs of healing after about two weeks. In the US, this disease accounts for nearly eight percent of all malignant cancers. Men tend to be affected twice as often as women do, especially men that are older than sixty.

For proper screening, there should be a thorough examination of the mouth by your doctor or dentist to see if there is any visible or hidden lesions on the lips, tongue, or anywhere else in the mouth. The sides of your tongue are also a common area for lesions. As the tumor grows larger, it often becomes an ulcer and starts to bleed. After this stage, the patient may have difficulty talking, chewing, or swallowing. Some patients may need a feeding tube to get adequate nutrition.

Another early sign of the disease is a white patch on the soft tissues of the mouth. This is called a leukoplakia. If the sore shows as a red patch, this is called a erythroplakia. The sore may produce a burning sensation or become painful once the tumor has reached an advanced stage. Sometimes these sores can be observed behind the wisdom tooth or even behind your ear.

There are also other symptoms that may arise from this disease, such as having difficulty swallowing. Many patients also report having tongue problems and mouth sores. Intense pain and paraesthesia symptoms tend to develop in the later stages of the disease.

A brush biopsy is non-invasive and can be used to rule out any dysplasia in areas of the mouth with unexplained discoloration or lesions. However, the only sure method of determining if a lesion is cancerous or not is through a biopsy and a microscopic evaluation of the cells in the tissue sample.

You should understand that nearly seventy-five percent of these cancers are associated with certain behaviors that can be modified over time, such as smoking tobacco and too much alcohol consumption. Other factors such as poor oral hygiene and irritation to the gums caused by badly fitted dentures are also contributors. Having poor nutrition and chronic infections from bacteria or viruses are also red flags. However, if oral cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, medical treatment will generally be effective with the disease.




About the Author:



0 comments :