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Oral Cancer

Oral Cancer

Oral cancer (mouth cancer) is the most common form of head and neck cancer. It typically affects people age 60 and older. Oral cancer affects your lips and the first parts of your tongue, mouth roof and floor. It also affects your oropharynx - the last part of your tongue and roof of your mouth, your tonsils and the sides and back of your throat.


What is oral cancer?

Oral cancer (mouth cancer) is the broad term for cancer that affects the inside of your mouth. Oral cancer can look like a common problem with your lips or in your mouth, like white patches or sores that bleed. The difference between a common problem and potential cancer is these changes don’t go away. Left untreated, oral cancer can spread throughout your mouth and throat to other areas of your head and neck. Approximately 63% of people with oral cavity cancer are alive five years after diagnosis.


What parts of my body are in my oral cavity?

Your oral cavity includes:

  • Your lips.
  • Your gums.
  • The lining of the inside of your cheeks.
  • The first two-thirds of your tongue.
  • The first part of the roof of your mouth.
  • The area right behind your wisdom teeth.
  • SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES
  • DIAGNOSIS AND TESTS
  • MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT

Are there specific activities that can increase my risk of developing oral cancer?


  • Smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes.
  • Use smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, dip, snuff or water pipes (hookah or shush).
  • Regularly drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
  • Spend a lot of time in the sun without protecting their lips with sunblock.
  • Have human papillomavirus (HPV).
  • Have a family history of oral cancer.

How do healthcare providers diagnose oral cancer?

Your dentist may spot potential oral cancer during one of your regular checkups. They may follow up with preliminary tests or refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, or head and neck surgeon. These specialists are also called ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists.


  • Physical Examination : Your healthcare provider will look at the entire inside of your mouth and might feel around your mouth. They'll also examine your head, face and neck for potential signs of pre-cancer or cancer.
  • Incisional biopsy : Your healthcare provider will remove small pieces of tissue to get cells to be examined for cancer.

The stages for oral cavity cancer are :


  • TI: The tumor in your mouth measures 2 centimeters or less.
  • T2: The tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller but isn't larger than 4 centimeters.
  • T3: The tumor is larger than 4 centimeters.

What surgeries treat oral cancer?


  • Primary tumor surgery: Healthcare providers remove tumors through your mouth or an incision in your neck.
  • Glossectomy: This is the partial or total removal of your tongue.
  • Mandibulectomy: This is surgery for oral cancer in your jawbone.
  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy: This test helps healthcare providers know if cancer has spread beyond the original oral cancer.

What are other ways to treat oral cancer?


  • Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses strong beams of energy to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Your healthcare provider may combine radiation therapy with other treatments.
  • Targeted therapy: This cancer treatment uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells without hurting normal cells. Monoclonal antibodies are immune system proteins that are created in the lab and used to treat cancer.
  • Chemotherapy: Your healthcare provider may use anti-cancer drugs that kill cancer cells, including treatments that affect most parts of your body.
  • Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that engages your immune system to fight the disease. The treatment is sometimes called biological therapy.

At Bharat Cancer Hospital, we understand and stress the right way of fighting cancer.

Fighting cancer the right way.

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