What are the causes and symptoms of oral cancer?

Oral cancers affect the lips and the inside of the oral cavity: the gums, cheeks, palate, tonsils and tongue. What are the different types of oral cancer and how to spot them?

The cancers buccales are more and more frequent in France, although one hears about it. It is the second most common cancer in humans.

What are the causes of oral cancer?

According to the Ministry of Health, risk factors for oral cancers are:

  • tobacco: 90% of patients with oral cancer were smokers.

  • thealcohol : her consumption regular increases the risk.

  • the Virus Papilloma human (HPV): virus subtype 16 is strongly linked to oral cancer. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection, generally associated with the development of a Cervical cancer. It represents the main cause in young people under 30 years of age.

  • exposure to Sun : prolonged unprotected exposure increases the risk of lip cancer.

In addition to these factors, the lack of oral hygiene and a diet rich in fats and low in vitamins and protein further increase the likelihood of cancer in these areas. Some researchers suggest that a diet low in fruits and vegetables is also a risk factor.

Even though cigarettes and alcohol remain the main causes of cancer oral, it usually requires prolonged exposure for the development of tumor, about 15 to 30 years of consumption.

Finally, men over the age of 45 are two to three times more likely to get this cancer.

What are the symptoms of oral cancer?

The main signs seen in patients with oral cancer are:

  • persistent lesions of the oral cavity

  • sores or growths on the lips that do not heal for more than 15 days

  • red or whitish spots and patches on the tongue, gums, palate or mucosa jugale (cheek)

  • a lump on the neck or under the lower jaw

  • persistent hoarseness or change in voice

In more advanced cases, the symptoms following are observed:

  • difficulty chewing and swallowing

  • difficulty speaking

  • feeling that there is something stuck in the throat

In all of these cases, a medical professional (doctor or dentist) should be called for a full mouth exam. The periodic visit to the dentist promotes diagnostic mouth cancer early because it is possible to identify suspicious lesions. People at higher risk of developing oral cancer (frequent smokers and drinkers) should be given special attention.

How to treat oral cancer?

If diagnosed early and treated appropriately, most cases (80% of them) will recover. In general, treatment includes a surgery oncological and / or a radiotherapy. The medical diagnosis, depending on each patient, will decide the best form of care.

The two methods can be used alone or in combination. Both techniques give good results for the initial lesions, that is to say those which are those limited to the place of origin. The choice of treatment will depend on the location of the tumor and the functional changes it can cause.

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Cancer: from theory to practice ABSMARTHEALTH-Sciences met Norbert Vey, a clinician at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille, to better understand how doctors approach advances in theoretical research to benefit patients.

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