Cancer is never a fun topic, but the seriousness of it deserves our attention.  Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer and accounts for about 3.6 percent of all cancers diagnosed.  Each year approximately nine thousand Americans die of oral cancer and between thirty and forty thousand cases are diagnosed.  Unfortunately, oral cancer has the lowest survival rate with only half of all patients diagnosed surviving more than five years.  The reason being, it usually isn’t caught until in its advanced stages.  It is typically painless in its early stage and goes unnoticed until it spreads.  The good news is that if detected early, oral cancer can usually be cured.

Most dentists provide an oral cancer screening during your regular dental checkup.  Your dentist will check about ten places inside and around the mouth, looking and feeling for lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, cheeks and oral cavity.  You can also conduct a self-examination to look for signs of oral cancer, but it is often difficult to diagnose yourself. 

Things you should look for include:

1.     A swelling, growth, lump or sore spot anywhere in or around the mouth or neck.

2.     Red, white or discolored patches in the mouth or on the lips.

3.     Any sore that persists for more than two weeks.

4.     Pain, tenderness or numbness anywhere in the mouth or lips.

5.     A thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area.

6.     Repeated bleeding from the mouth or throat.

7.     Difficulty in swallowing, speaking or persistent hoarseness.

8.     An unexplained difficulty in moving your jaw or tongue.

9.     A change in your bite.

If you observe any of the above symptoms, see your dentist immediately.  I don’t want to be an alarmist, but it is better to have a questionable area checked than to leave it alone and later find out it is cancerous.  To ensure that a spot or sore is not dangerous, your dentist may elect to perform a simple brush biopsy which is usually painless and can detect potentially dangerous cells when the disease is still at an early stage.  If your dentist notices a lesion that looks more suspicious, a scalpel or punch biopsy may be recommended.

The vast majority of oral cancers occur after the age of forty, with men being twice as likely to develop the disease.  Oral cancer can affect any area of the oral cavity but the most frequent sites are the tongue, floor of the mouth, soft palate, lips and gums.

Oral cancer occurs most often in people who use tobacco in any form and when used in combination with alcohol the risk increases substantially.  It has been found that when tobacco and alcohol use are combined, the risk of oral cancer increases 15 times more than non-users of tobacco and alcohol products.  Still, more than 25% of oral cancers occur in people who do not smoke and have no other risk factors.

I hope you never have to deal with any form of cancer, but it is an unfortunate reality that needs to be addressed.  In a future article I will discuss how therapy that is provided for other types of cancer can have severe and devastating oral complications.  I will provide some ideas that may help you or a loved one if you do have to face treatment for cancer.  Until then, be sure to check your mouth at least once a week when brushing and flossing for any unusual symptoms!