Mouth cancer | Causes, Symptoms & Treatments (2024)

FAQs

What is the main cause of mouth cancer? ›

Oral cancer most often occurs in people over the age of 40 and affects more than twice as many men as women. Most cancers in the mouth are related to tobacco use, drinking alcohol, or both, and most throat cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV).

Oral cancer is fairly common. It can be cured if found and treated at an early stage (when it's small and has not spread). A healthcare provider or dentist often finds oral cancer in its early stages because the mouth and lips are easy to examine. Almost all oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

Progression of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) can be rapid and spread to nearby or even distant regions of the body. About 3–7% of oral squamous cell carcinomas spread to a secondary location each year, according to a 2021 review.

What foods to avoid during and after oral cancer treatment. The biggest food groups to avoid during an oral cancer journey are salt, fat, alcohol, and sugar. These types of food are empty calories, meaning they provide no nutrients that benefit you and do not help your body fight cancer from growing and developing.

A canker sore may be mistaken for mouth cancer, but there are some key differences. Canker sores often cause pain, sometimes before they appear. Your mouth may burn, sting, or tingle. Canker sores should heal on their own within two weeks.

Mouth cancer tends not to cause any noticeable symptoms during the initial stages of the disease. This is why it's important to have regular dental check-ups, particularly if you are a smoker, a heavy drinker or a betel chewer, because a dentist may often be able to detect the condition during an examination.

Oral cancer can present itself in many different ways, which could include: a lip or mouth sore that doesn't heal, a white or reddish patch on the inside of your mouth, loose teeth, a growth or lump inside your mouth, mouth pain, ear pain, and difficulty or pain while swallowing, opening your mouth or chewing.

Survival can vary from 95% at five years for stage 1 mouth cancer to 5% at five years for some cancers at stage 4 disease, depending on the location of the lesion. Stage of diagnosis affects survival, and people diagnosed with mouth cancer at stage 3 and 4 have a significantly reduced prognosis.

Biopsy. In a biopsy, the doctor removes a small piece of tissue or a sample of cells, so it can be looked at closely in the lab for cancer cells. A biopsy is the only way to know for sure that oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer is present.

What happens if mouth cancer is left untreated? ›

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.

The goal of oral cancer screening is to identify mouth cancer early, when there is a greater chance for a cure. Most dentists perform an examination of your mouth during a routine dental visit to screen for oral cancer. Some dentists may use additional tests to aid in identifying areas of abnormal cells in your mouth.

Some people lose their voice. It might become difficult to say some particular words, or you may slur some words. This can be temporary and get better once swelling from surgery has gone down. Sometimes it can be permanent and others might find it difficult to understand you.

Mouth cancer isn't usually painful

You may also have trouble swallowing if a tumor is deep in the mouth. Leukoplakia or erythroplakia anywhere in the mouth may bleed if they're irritated – but the bleeding isn't painful either. Rather, painful spots in your mouth are often signs of injury or infection.

Survival at 5 years

Survival can vary from 95% at five years for stage 1 mouth cancer to 5% at five years for some cancers at stage 4 disease, depending on the location of the lesion. Stage of diagnosis affects survival, and people diagnosed with mouth cancer at stage 3 and 4 have a significantly reduced prognosis.

Chewing products and various dietary, dental, and medical factors increased the risk of oral cavity cancer in non-smokers whereas alcohol was not an independent risk factor. Further research on these non-traditional risk factors is warranted to guide clinicians in primary prevention strategies.

Oral cancer can be caused by the infection of viruses including like herpes simplex virus (HSV), HPV, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) as well as various premalignant and carcinogenic factors which can lead to oral cancer [18]. Both DNA and RNA viruses can be oncogenic.