Oral cancer refers to any cancer that occurs in the mouth. Histologically, it is a malignant tumor that occurs on the tongue, bottom of the tongue, buccal mucosa, gums, roof of the mouth, posterior triangle, lips, jawbone, and pharynx. squamous cell carcinoma is common.
In addition, salivary adenocarcinoma occurring in small salivary glands, sarcoma occurring in soft tissues such as the muscles of the jawbone or facial region, malignant melanoma and lymphoma occurring in the palate of the oral mucosa, buccal mucosa, and gums may occur.
Oral cancer has decreased from 2.5% to 0.3% of all cancers, and the male to female ratio is 1.9:1, the highest incidence in men.
The main symptoms and causes of oral cancer
Symptoms of oral cancer include a broken mouth, white or red lesions in the mouth, sore tongue or mouth that causes pain, lumps in the mouth, sharp shaking of teeth, wounds that do not heal following tooth extraction, lumps in the neck It can be touched.
Among the risk factors that various carcinogens are associated with the development of oral cancer, the main causes are smoking and drinking. It has been found that smokers are more than five times more likely to develop oral cancer than non-smokers, and chewing tobacco is known to cause cancer in particular.
In the case of drinking, if you drink more than 5 drinks a day, the incidence of oral cancer increases 5 to 6 times. Excessive smoking and drinking are known to increase the incidence of oral cancer by more than 30 times.
Viruses are also known as risk factors for oral cancer, and human papillomavirus, known as the cause of cervical cancer, is mostly found in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Radiation or UV rays cause chromosomal mutations and increase the incidence of cleft lip cancer. Vitamin or iron deficiency, and deficiency of dietary factors such as zinc and copper are also known to be associated with the incidence frequency.
In addition, chronic oral soft tissue stimulation by poor prosthesis can lead to oral cancer through precancerous lesions such as vitiligo.
Oral precancerous lesions refer to lesions with a significantly higher probability of becoming oral cancer compared to normal oral tissues. These oral precancerous lesions include vitiligo, erythematosus, and chronic hyperproliferative candidiasis. Among them, vitiligo is the most common and accounts for regarding 85%.
Vitiligo does not go away clinically by rubbing. It is defined as a white spot that has not been diagnosed with any other specific disease. It occurs more in men than in women, and the most common part of the oral cavity is the buccal mucosa.
In addition to the buccal mucosa, it may appear anywhere in the oral mucosa, and it varies greatly in shape and size and is not accompanied by pain or other symptoms.
It is important to confirm the differential diagnosis from ulcerative oral soft tissue disease, which can be mistaken for oral cancer.
Stomatitis is a disease expressed as tongue-needle or recurrent aphthous oral ulcers, and the oral findings are one to several small ulcers less than 1 cm in diameter, and sometimes larger ulcers occur.
These ulcers mainly occur on the non-hard lower tongue, lips, and cheek mucosa in the oral cavity, and usually 2~3mm ulcers form and cause severe pain when ingesting food, but they heal spontaneously within 2 weeks.
In particular, oral cancer does not heal on its own even following 3 weeks and persists, so it is distinguished from stomatitis.
In addition, oral ulcers lasting more than 3 weeks can be caused by various causes. Systemic diseases such as diabetes, anemia, and immunosuppressive drugs may interfere with the healing of inflammation and may persist for more than a month.
Oral herpes infection, which is mainly caused by herpes simplex virus infection, can occur on the lips when the immune function is reduced, when there is a lot of stress, when exposed to a lot of sunlight outdoors, or in the oral cavity following receiving dental treatment. do.
In addition, in women, the onset of ulcers may be affected by the menstrual cycle. Herpes simplex infection disappears naturally following regarding 2 weeks, and for herpes simplex infection on the lips, applying an antiviral ointment and biting on ice helps relieve pain and provide hydration.
Oral cancer treatment to increase cure rate
Oral cancer treatment method is decided in consideration of stage, age, general condition, and defect site. In the case of early cancer, surgery and radiation therapy have similar cure rates, but since there is almost no functional impairment and the burden of surgery is not large, it is a general treatment to give priority to surgery rather than radiation therapy. Combination treatment is a way to increase the cure rate.
Radiation therapy is the most commonly used treatment method along with surgery, and radiation therapy is known to be effective when the lesion is small, superficial, and extroverted.
Oral cancer treatment side effects and prevention
Side effects following oral cancer surgery may include postoperative bleeding, infection at the surgical site, and difficulty breathing due to edema, which can occur in general surgery. Chronic sequelae following radiation therapy include fibrosis of the salivary glands, necrosis or atrophy of salivary gland cells, and decreased salivary secretion, resulting in dry mouth.
Smoking cessation and alcohol consumption are necessary to prevent oral cancer. To prevent cancer of the lips, it is recommended to wear a hat or use a sunscreen to block exposure to UV rays. Consumption of fruits, green and yellow vegetables, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E may play a role in preventing the development of oral cancer. On the other hand, habitual excessive intake of animal fat and saturated fat is a risk factor associated with oral cancer, so it is recommended to maintain a balanced diet.