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About 34,000 people are diagnosed with cancers of the mouth and oropharynx in the United States each year.

Oral cancer is cancer found in the oral cavity (the mouth area) and the oropharynx (the throat area at the back of the mouth).

Oral Cancer Causes

Factors known to contribute to the risk of developing head and neck cancers include smoking (both tobacco and marijuana) or chewing tobacco and alcohol use. Leukoplakia (white spots or patches in the mouth) also may be considered a risk factor, as this condition becomes cancerous in approximately one-third of patients.

Other causes of oral cancer may include leukoplakia - a condition characterized by a whitish patch that develops inside the mouth or throat; erythroplakia - a condition characterized by a red, raised patch that develops inside the mouth; excessive sun exposure, which, like elsewhere on the body, can cause cancer on the lip.

Oral Cancer Treatment

The extent of treatment for oral cancer depends on a number of factors. Among them are the location, size, type and extent of the tumor and stage of the cancer disease.

After a definitive diagnosis has been made and the cancer has been staged, oral cancer treatment may begin. Treatment of oral cancers is ideally a multidisciplinary approach involving the efforts of surgeons, radiation oncologists, chemotherapy oncologists, dental practitioners, nutritionists, and rehabilitation and restorative specialists.

For most dental patients, it is important to have a complete dental exam before oral cancer treatment begins. Because oral cancer treatment may make the mouth sensitive and more easily infected, doctors often advise to have dental work done before treatment begins.

Oral Cancer Treatment With Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment for oral cancer. Surgery to remove the tumor in the mouth is the usual treatment for patients with oral cancer. If there is evidence that the cancer has spread or a concern that it has spread, the surgeon may also remove lymph nodes in the neck. If the disease has spread to muscles and other tissues in the neck, the operation may be more extensive.

Oral Cancer Treatment With Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is the use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. In cancer of the mouth and oropharynx, radiation therapy may be used alone to treat small to intermediate-stage tumors or to kill remaining cancer cells after surgery, or it may be combined with chemotherapy for advanced tumors. The energy may come from a large machine, or external radiation. Patients with large tumors may need both surgery and radiation therapy.

Oral Cancer Treatment With Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Researchers are looking for effective drugs or drug combinations to treat oral cancer. They are also exploring ways to combine chemotherapy with other forms of cancer treatment to help destroy the tumor and prevent the disease from spreading.
Chemotherapy may be used to shrink the cancer before surgery or radiation, or it may be combined with radiation to increase the effectiveness of both treatments.

Whether a patient has surgery, radiation and surgery, or radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy, is dependent on the stage of development of the cancer. Each case is individual.

Categories: Oral Hygiene