April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. And as a family dental practice in Flagstaff, Country Club Dental wants to remind you to schedule your bi-annual dental checkups, which can help in the early detection of oral cancer. Understanding oral cancer and its risk factors can help in limiting its development and in early detection.
First, a few sobering statistics from the Oral Cancer Foundation:
- Close to 53,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or oropharyngeal cancer this year (2019).
- Of these cases, there will be over 9,750 deaths. That’s one death per hour, every day of the year.
- And in 5 years, only approximately 57% of these newly-diagnosed cases will still be alive.
What is Oral Cancer?
Oral cancer—sometimes called mouth cancer or oral cavity cancer—refers to cancer that develops on the lips, gums, tongue, tonsils, salivary glands, inner lining of the cheeks, roof of the mouth and floor of the mouth. Oral cancer is grouped into a category with head and neck cancers and is often treated similarly to other cancers in this category.
Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cancer
If you have oral cancer, you may display these signs or symptoms:
- Red and white colored patches on the lining of the mouth or tongue
- Mouth ulcers or sores that do not heal
- Swelling that persists over three weeks
- Difficult or painful swallowing
- Mouth, ear or jaw pain for no apparent reason
- A growth or lump inside your mouth
- Loose teeth
Oral Cancer Stages
Each stage of oral cancer is determined by three factors: the size of the tumor; whether the cancer is in the lymph nodes; and whether the cancer has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body).
There are 5 stages of oral cancer.
Stage 0: An oral cancer tumor is only growing in the outer layer of tissue in the oral cavity or oropharynx. No cancerous cells can be found in deep tissue or in the lymph nodes.
Stage 1: An oral cancer tumor is 2 cm across or smaller, and no cancerous cells can be found in deep tissue or in the lymph nodes.
Stage 2: An oral cancer tumor is 2 cm to 4 cm across, and no cancerous cells can be found in deep tissue or in the lymph nodes.
Stage 3: An oral cancer tumor is larger than 4 cm across, and no cancerous cells can be found in deep tissue or in the lymph nodes.
Or, the oral tumor is any size, but there are cancer cells present in one lymph node located on the same side of the head/neck as the tumor.
Stage 4: There are several categories with a variety of factors involved. Most of these factors involve the size of the tumor, the spread of cancer cells to different parts of the body, or the oral cancer being present in the lymph nodes.
Oral Cancer Treatment
At Country Club Dental we’re not able to accurately assess the particular stages of oral cancer. That’s something an oral cancer specialist will have to do. However, at every regular biannual dental checkup we do, we look for symptoms of oral cancer, which can mean early detection of the disease.
Treatment and prognosis (a prediction as to the outcome of treatment) for oral cancer will depend on the stage. Cancer that is still in stage 0 can easily be treated with surgery, and most patients will survive a long time without the further need for treatment.
With stage 1 & 2, some tumors can be treated with surgery, while others are treated with a combination of surgery and radiation/chemotherapy. Treatment options depend on the location and severity of the tumor.
Stage 3 & 4 cancers are generally treated with both surgery and radiation/chemotherapy. Surgery often includes taking out some of the lymph nodes. Prognosis for cancers at this stage depends on how far the cancer has spread and whether there has been a recurrence of cancer.
Oral Cancer Risk Factors
The likelihood of developing oral cancer at some point in your life has to do with a variety of factors.
Age and gender: The average age at diagnosis of oral cancer is 62. And men are 50 percent more likely to develop oral cancer.
Poor nutrition: Studies point diets low in nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables as a potential risk for developing oral cancer.
Alcohol and tobacco use: A shocking 80 percent of people who are diagnosed with oral cancer are smokers and 70 percent are heavy drinkers. For people who both smoke and drink heavily, that risk is even higher.
HPV: In recent years the number of oral cancer diagnoses has increased due to the spread of certain oral strands of HPV that lead to cancer. People with oral cancers linked to HPV, however, tend to have a good prognosis.
Decrease Your Risk with Regular Dental Checkups
As a dentist’s office, we’re not only concerned about your oral health but also about your overall health and wellbeing. Our goal is to help you understand oral disease (including oral cancer) with the aim of preventing it entirely! As we mentioned earlier, regular dental checkups can help prevent oral disease and/or identify symptoms of oral disease for early treatment.
So if it’s been a while since your last dental checkup, schedule your appointment with us today.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use. Image by Simon Wijers from Pixabay (4/12/2019)
