Oral cancer: What you need to know

Oral cancer is a malignancy that can appear anywhere in the oral cavity. Because the symptoms are quite similar to inflammatory diseases in the mouth, patients often go to the doctor when it is at a late stage, the treatment becomes difficult, expensive but not very effective.

High risk factors for oral cancer include:
Unhealthy lifestyle habits:
Smoking and drinking alcohol: These are the two main causes of head and neck cancer, including cavity cancer. mouth ; Habits of eating betel nut, misaligned teeth, poor oral hygiene... cause mechanical damage in the oral cavity, creating favorable conditions for cancer development. Due to diseases:
Herpes virus infection, HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), Xeroderma pigmentosum syndrome, anemia, Fanconi syndrome. ..; Other precancerous lesions in the oral cavity such as leukoplakia, erythroplasia, chronic hyperplastic candidiasis, persistent traumatic ulcers, etc. Thus, by eliminating these risks, Patients can prevent oral cancer more effectively.

Early symptoms of the disease are often confused with common inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, so patients are subjective. However, if you notice and detect abnormalities early, it will be more effective to go to a doctor to find the cause of the disease and treat it.
Important physical symptoms to accurately identify oral cancer are:
Ulcerative lesions: There are raised areas of lesions, which can be simple ulcers or papillae covered with pieces of necrotic tissue with a foul odor rotten, easy to bleed, hard, little or no mobility and can see spread to surrounding tissues; Warts: Lesions are often raised cauliflower-shaped, which may combine ulcerative lesions and bleeding. To confirm the disease, biopsy is usually applied. Therefore, when there is an injury, it is necessary to seek medical attention immediately. Cancer Metastasis: Cancer metastases to the head and neck lymph nodes often occur early, especially with cancers of the tongue and floor of the mouth. The earliest metastasis is in the groups of lymph nodes under the chin, below the jawline and in the neck, which can metastasize on one or both sides. Metastatic lymph nodes gradually enlarge, causing pressure on the airways and headaches. In particular, necrosis causing massive bleeding in the maxillofacial region is the fastest cause of death.

Treatment of oral cancer has 3 main measures:
Surgery: With early oral cancer, treatment can be carried out by surgical removal of the tumor. Depending on the progression of the tumor, different levels of surgical treatment are applied such as simple tumor resection; Tumor resection and cervical lymphadenectomy; Tumor resection, cervical lymphadenectomy with reconstructive surgery. Radiation therapy: Used in combination before or after surgery to increase the effectiveness of treatment. However, in the course of treatment it also causes many side effects such as dry mouth, tooth decay, ulcers, oral bleeding, jaw bone necrosis... Chemotherapy can be used in combination with radiation therapy to make increase the effect of radiation therapy. The treatment can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss.

Cancer does not appear spontaneously but has a long incubation period with habits and risk factors associated with it for a long time. Cancer incubation stages include:
Biological stage : This stage can last 8-10 years. Mainly genetic changes, changes in cell structure. This stage is very difficult to detect and currently, research is focusing on finding genes that cause disease and preventing cancer treatment when there are changes. Precancerous stage: This stage progresses over 1-2 years. This stage begins to show symptoms, which can be detected through early examination. In the precancerous stage, the cells have not metastasized, so it can be completely cured. However, poor symptoms can make it difficult to detect the disease. Clinical stage: When the tumor has grown to about 1 cm in diameter. At this stage, the disease has manifested, the tumor can grow quickly or slowly, metastasize sooner or later depending on the type of cancer. If detected early, treatment still has a hope of success.

Patients after cancer treatment need to be re-examined according to the following schedule:
First year: Patients need to be re-examined once a month; Year 2: The patient needs to be re-examined every 2 months; The following years: The patient needs to be re-examined every 6 months. The purpose of regular check-ups is to treat dental problems and manage recurrences or new cancers (if any).

To prevent oral cancer, it is necessary to apply the following measures:
Quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption to prevent oral cells from being exposed to cancer-causing chemicals; Increase the intake of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, especially carrots; With lip cancer, for prevention should avoid too much sun exposure, should use lip protection and sunscreen when going out; Periodic dental examination every 6 months at specialized dental facilities. In summary, oral cavity cancer is a malignant tumor that appears anywhere in the oral cavity and causes pain and discomfort. Without timely intervention, the disease will progress very quickly and lead to a high risk of death in patients.
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