Using tobacco is the leading cause of oral cancer. All forms of tobacco, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and chewing (smokeless) tobacco, are linked to oral cancer. The risk of oral cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Tobacco use is most likely to cause oral cancer in the floor of the mouth, but also causes cancer in the oral cavityand oropharynx and on the lips.
The risk of oral cancer is greater in people who use both tobacco and alcohol than it is in people who use only tobacco or only alcohol. Tobacco users who have had oral cancer may develop second cancers in the oral cavity or nearby areas, including the nose, throat, vocal cords, esophagus, and trachea (windpipe). Results from clinical trials have shown that when a person stops smoking cigarettes, the risk of oral cancer decreases by one-half (50%) within 5 years. Within 10 years of quitting, the risk of oral cancer is the same as for a person who never used tobacco
TABLE OF CONTENTS:- What is Mouth Cancer?
- Mouth Cancer & Smoking
- Symptoms of oral cancer
- Treatment & Prognosis of Oral Cancer
What is Mouth Cancer?
Mouth- or Oral cancer can occur throughout the whole mouth: the lips, cheeks, tongue and tongue base, mouth floor (the part of the mouth under the tongue), etc. A chronic irritation of the mucous membrane plays an important role in its development. Think of prolonged smoking and alcohol consumption as possible risks factors of mouth cancer. Long exposure to sunlight or smoking pipe may play a role in the development of lip cancer.
Mouth Cancer and Smoking
Oral cancer is a tumor in the oral cavity. It is a rare disorder. Smoking cigarettes and cigars, and chewing tobacco causes 80 to 90 percent of the oral cancer cases. Smoking and drinking together makes this risk bigger. If someone has oral cancer, the chances are very high that this person is a smoker. Of all people with mouth cancer nearly 90% got the disease through smoking.
If you smoke, you also have more chance of lip cancer. Usually a doctor can cut away the tumor. Older people get more lip- or mouth cancer than young people. Also other factors, including poor oral hygiene, ill-fitting dentures, and internal causes (such as lack of specific nutrients and genetic factors) may play a role in developing mouth cancer.
Symptoms of oral cancer:
The symptoms may include:
- ulcers of the mouth that does not heal,
- a thickening in the cheek,
- a white or red stain on the tongue or in the mouth,
- difficulty chewing or swallowing,
- difficulty in tongue or jaw move,
- numbness of the tongue or other parts of the mouth,
- swelling of the jaw.
Oral cancer often remains confined to the oral cavity. It generally takes long before the cancer spread to other parts of the body. Oral cancer can spread tough; most frequently through the lymphatic vessels to the lymph nodes under the jaw or the neck. Then the tumor can even develop elsewhere in the body (eg in the lungs, liver and/or skeletal).
What are the possible side effects of nicotine patches?
The earlier the tumor is discovered, the better the prognosis. If is hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes, then the five years survival is around 75%. When it has, the percentage is much lower. If there is already general spreading to lung, liver and skeleton, the expectations in the short term are worse. A precise statement about the prognosis is not possible. It depends on the age and general physical condition of the patient.
The treatment options consist of surgery and (post-) irradiation. Small tumors can often be surgically removed properly. Depending on the degree of growth in the surrounding tissues (including the jaw muscle and bone) will be decided whether additional radiation is needed.
