Oral Cancer

Nearly eight out of every 10 tobacco chewers, smokers & alcohol consumers suffer from a debilitating condition known as “Oral cancer”. Annually 130,000 people in India succumb to oral cancer. The reason behind this high prevalence is primarily tobacco consumption in the form of gutka, snuff, quid, misri etc.

                                                              
                              
Oral cancer comprises of malignancies of lip, tongue, gums & floor of mouth. Oral cancer can be brought to a halt if exposures to risk factors such as tobacco & alcohol are prevented.

Early diagnosis of oral cancer & treatment can lead to an eminent cure.

Signs & symptoms of oral cancer are:

In the early stages, it can be ignored due to no pain & physical changes, but it can be noticed by the doctors due to slight precursor tissue changes & the changes could be:

• A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth.
• Persistent non healing ulcer.
• Inconvenience in swallowing & chewing
• Loosening of teeth
• Numbness of the tongue
• Changes in voice
• Swelling of jaws that also leads to change in dentures fit.
• A lump in the cheek or neck.

In case any of these signs or symptoms persists for weeks, it’s time to see your doctor as early diagnosis of any cancer can help the treatment to be effective as possible.

Patient examination should include complete history with a systematic observation & tactual examination of oral soft tissues, head & neck region. Oral cancer screening is considered to be the efficacious approach in disease control intervention, as its aim is the early detection of precancerous lesions.

Oral cancer occurs in the accessible & anatomical regions able to be perceived or noticed easily & consists of potentially malignant disorders like: homogenous leukoplakia, verrucous leukoplakia, non-homogenous leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis, & lichen planus due to systemic sclerosis & traumatic ulcers, which at times present as painless, small ulcers or nodular growths.

With heedful visualization & palpation of the oral mucosa, these changes can’t be neglected and some might even require dental implants from the best dental clinic in North Delhi. Also, the malignant transformation of the precancerous lesions can be prevented by the cessation of tobacco & alcohol consumption, & cases with no spread to regional lymph nodes i.e. the localized ones can be treated with surgery or radiotherapy and might even require dental implants in Delhi or any other place. Thus early detection & relevant treatment can avoid deaths due to oral cancer.