Stage 0:

The stage 0 of lip cancer is also referred to as carcinoma in the situ. This stage is marked by occurrence of abnormal cells in the patient’s lip lining. Although the abnormal cells are not yet cancerous in this stage, they have high possibilities of turning into cancerous cells. Stage 0 lip cancer is treated by removing the topmost layers of the abnormal tissues along with a small part of the healthy tissues. The procedure is known as surgical stripping. IN case these abnormal cells keep on recurring, the doctor might advice the patient to undergo radiation therapy.

Stage I:

In this stage, the lip cancer lesion remains less than 2cm in size and does not invade the lymph nodes or other tissues of the patient. Stage I lip cancer is treated through surgery; in case the tumor is extremely large in size radiation therapy might be used. Mostly a surgery type called micrographic surgery or Mohs is done to treat lip cancer in this stage. During a Mohs, the tumor gets cut into extremely thin slices. Each of these slices gets examined immediately. The procedure continues until the microscopic test shows that no more cancerous cells are present in the slice.

Stage II:

In stage II, the lip cancer lesion becomes bigger than 2cm. However, still it stays below 4cm. Stage II lip cancer also does not involve spreading of the cancer cells into the patient’s lymph nodes. The treatment procedures recommended for stage II lip cancer are mostly similar to those recommended to patients in stage I of lip cancer.

If you find that you have lesions and sores appearing within your oral cavity, you must visit your physician for getting them checked immediately. You must do the same even if such lesions and sores occure in your sinuses and throat. The requirement of a medical checkup becomes even more important if you find that the lesions are not going away even after 2 weeks. This is because these changes in and around the oral cavity may indicate a precancerous stage. Other HPV symptoms that might be precancerous conditions include: lump on the cheek, red and white patches on the gums, tonsils, tongue or the mouth’s lining, sore throat, extreme difficulty in swallowing and chewing, feeling of a lump like growth within the throat, swelling of the oral cavity accompanied by numbness, difficulty in performing movements of the jaws. Each of the symptoms mentioned above might also indicate occurrence anon-cancerous condition; for proper diagnosis you must visit your physician as soon as possible.

Throat cancer is also categorized as an oral cancer form. The precancerous lesions due to throat cancer start primarily from the hind portion of the patient’s mouth or the top of his throat. If the precancerous lesions are accompanied by other signs like voice changes, feeling of blockage within the throat, unexplained and sudden decrease in body weight and breathing problems, the chances of the presence of cancer in the patient is significantly high. Visit your doctor as soon as possible, if you find that your bad breath, earache, cough or sore throat is not getting better or getting worse with time.

The precancerous spots or lesions in case of mouth cancer will appear within the oral cavity; in majority of the cases these spots or lesion stay extremely small during the initial phase. When the cancer starts progressing, these symptoms start getting worse and also turn more noticeable. The symptoms of mouth cancer that accompany these sores and lesions include: feeling of numbness, bleeding gums, rough spots, swelling of the cheeks and mouth, speckled, red or white patches on the lips, gums and the mouth’s lining and pain, which do not go away even after weeks.

You can take tobacco in any form, but it will surely increase your chances of developing oral cancer. The highest number of oral cancer is however triggered by chewing tobacco and pipe smoking.

Oral cancer generally begins from the mouth; it can include the lips, teeth, the cheek’s outer lining, the frontal region of the gums and tongue and the base and roof of mouth. In case of oropharyngeal cancer, the site of the disease is generally, the back portion of the tongue, throat or tonsils. Our mouth contains soft tissues; this means there are several cell types in our mouth. Each of these cell types might experience varied oral cancer forms. The statistics offered by American Cancer Society suggest that in the coming years around 25% of all oral cancers will occur in the tongue.

When do we get cancer? Cancer occurs when cells of our body get damaged. DNA of these damaged cells at times results in uncontrolled growth of these cells, which finally lead to formation of tumors. This growth of damaged cells occurs as the body’s immune system wants to repair the damage caused to the cells. Cell damage that leads to cancer of the tongue is mostly cause by consumption of tobacco.

The easiest way of preventing tongue cancer is by avoiding tobacco use; prevention of tongue cancer also requires avoiding alcohol use to a great extent. If you are already a smoker or use tobacco by any other means, try quitting the habit as soon as possible. Every tobacco user must visit the dentist to get their oral cavity checked for cancer or pre-cancer symptoms at least once annually. The moist common symptoms include pain or a sore that don’t disappear even after months. Tongue cancer is often indicated by occurrence of red or white patches on tongue.

1. Never use tobacco in any form: If you are already addicted to smoking or chewing tobacco quit the habit. If you find it difficult to avoid these habits, consult a psychotherapist; he will be able to help you in getting rid of tobacco addiction successfully. Using tobacco exposes cells of our oral cavity and rest of the mouth to harmful cancer-triggering chemicals.
2. Limit alcohol consumption: If you drink make sure you are only drinking limited quantity of alcohol. Chronic alcoholism might irritate cells of our mouth, and in the process those cells can turn cancerous. A woman can have one drink daily and a man can have 2 drinks daily without harming their cells.
3. Avoid exposing your lips too much to the sunrays: The skin of our lips is often affected badly on being exposed to the sunrays for longer durations. To avoid that, wear broad-brimmed hats whenever you go out in the sun. This will cover the entire face effectively. You will also get lip balms having sun protective factors; apply such balms on your lips before going out in the sun.
4. Add fresh vegetables and fruits to your daily diet: Fresh fruits and vegetables contain high amount of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The antioxidants fight the free radicals and in the process helps in preventing onset of mouth cancer.
5. Going to a dentist for regular dental and oral checkups is extremely essential to ensure early detection of oral cancer. The dentist will also be able to identify precancerous changes in your mouth while checking the oral cavity and recommend proper treatment to avoid onset of oral cancer.

Then, everything literally came crumbling down – being struck with the shattering news of being diagnosed with advanced stage tongue cancer. The benchmark therapy in such cases entails radical surgical intervention wherein his tongue is to be removed along with a section of his jaws, lymph nodes ensued by radiotherapy & chemotherapy sessions. Though Achatz might trounce over tongue cancer, however his successful chef career would clearly be well-over.

But, Grant declined this suggestion, & alongside business associate N. Kokonas, eventually founded a ground-breaking programme at the Univ. of Chicago, that deploys intensive chemo & radiotherapy for shrivelling the tumors firstly, thus making radical surgical intervention redundant. The regime was tough; however it did appear to work for the chef who’s now free of tongue cancer for 3 years now. Though the therapy totally obliterated his taste buds, he is re-gaining his sense-of-taste gradually.

Achatz is presently able to taste sweet items and in his words – his palate is developing similar to newly born babies. He’s now able to comprehend the manner in which tastes were coming back & the manner in which they were synergizing with one another – something which Achatz found very edifying and feel he’s a better chef now since he has gained a deeper understanding of the manner in which flavours are working.

Pharyngeal (Oral) cancer is expected to be identified among an approximate thirty-five thousand people in the U.S. in 2011 & would be causing around 7500 mortalities. It has been observed that merely sixty percent of people with oral cancer would be surviving over five years. But, with earlier identification & timely therapy, oral cancer mortalities could be drastically lowered – the five-yr survival rate among people having non-metastasized oral cancer is eighty-two per cent in comparison to merely twenty-eight percent for people with metastasized oral cancer.

Age is often recognized as an oral cancer risk factor. But, in the last ten or so years, there has been a surge in the occurrence of OPSCC (oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma) among white males below fifty years of age with no past case of alcoholic intake or tobacco usage & this condition is linked to HPV 16 infection. Moreover, HPV (-ve & +ve) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma appear to be having distinctive molecular features & the later is believed to be linked to a better outlook. Earlier identification of oral cancer is mostly doable. Tissue alterations inside the mouth which may be signalling the onset of cancer mostly could be noticed & palpated with ease during an oral examination.

Life-Saving Simple Oral Cancer Examination

Oral cancer examination is pain-free & express – taking merely some minutes. Usual dental check-ups are the best opportunity for having the examination.

Here is what one should be expecting during the examination.

• Prepping for the examination – In case one has denture (plate) or partials, then the doctor would ask for removing it.
• The healthcare expert would be inspecting your facial (lip, mouth) & neck areas when looking for any indications of cancer.
• Using both hands, the doctor would be palpating the regions underneath the jaws & sides of the neck to check for a lumpiness which might be suggestive of cancer.
• The doctor would then be looking at & feeling the inner parts of your cheek & lip areas to look out for likely indications of cancer like reddish &/or whitish patch formations.
• The doctor would then ask you to thrust out your tongue for checking any swellings or irregular colour or feel.
• Gauzes would be used by the doctor for pulling out your tongue in a gentle manner to one side then the other for checking the bottom part of your tongue. The tongue base would also be examined.
• Additionally, the doctor would be looking at the roof & base of the mouth & backside of the throat.
• Ultimately, the doctor would be placing a finger on the mouth base & the other hand underneath your chin and in a gentle manner he/ she would be pressing down for checking lumpiness or sensitiveness.

Diagnosis of Oral Cancer:-

When a person suffers with any of the cancer symptoms, should catch a doctor immediately. The physicians usually check the condition of swellings, bumps, white and red patches inside the mouth. In the initial stage, the do the visual tests of the inner parts of the mouth like the tongue, upper and lower part of the mouth, condition of the tonsil etc. In a conation where the cancer cells become serious , the physicians do a skin biopsy test. For this test, they take some parts of the infected tissues and check under a microscope. They also test the infected saliva and even a blood test. Physicians also do a dental X-ray. If the cancer has grown inside the chest or lungs, the physician can also go for a chest x-ray. It the infection has spread inside the tonsil or other important parts of the throat, the physicians may go for a CT Scan. The tests also include a MRI or Magnetic resonance imaging test.

Oral Cancer Treatment methods: -

The initial stage of the cancer is treated by chemotherapy drugs. The chemotherapy drugs work to give the cancerous cells a halt from growing or developing into numerous cells.  These drugs also help the body metabolism to kill the cancerous cells, which have already been developed. Physicians say that the chemotherapy drugs not only work to heal and control the cancer cells, they also provide relief from many of the cancer symptoms and signs. If the chemotherapy drugs do not work to trim down the affects of cancer cells, the physicians usually go for a radiation therapy.  In a radiation therapy, the patient is given X-ray beans with high-energy rays through medical equipment. These rays help to spoil the cancerous cells. The radiation therapy is given only on the affected part of the mouth. Usually, for the radiation therapy the patient is suggested to become hospitalized. There are also cases of side affects for the therapy. The patient who gets the therapy mostly has the feeling of tiredness. The other side affects can be an inflammation or soreness in any part of the body tissues. The therapy can also cause diarrhea or other infections of skin.

The other treatment process is known as Biological Therapy. This process is used to enhance the body metabolism and immune system to fight with any sort of unfamiliar disease or infection. This therapy is also known as immunotherapy or biotherapy. The treatment process heals the lost immune power of affected parts of the body. In this process, the medical experts usually apply the essences, which are known as BRMs or biological response modifiers. Physicians say that when the infected bacterium of cancer attack the body, the tissue produce these modifiers naturally to fight and kill the germs. However, unfortunately they fail to kill the cancer cells. In the process of a Biological Therapy, the experts produce these modifiers to fill up the loss of these modifiers and destroy the cancer cells. This treatment also has some side affects like some types of skin rashes or a condition of diarrhea. This method of treatment is used to treat various other health conditions. The BRMs may not be useful for a compete cure of an advanced stage of Melanoma. The process of BRMs or a Radiation Therapy is always helpful if chemotherapy drugs are also used within the treatment process. Some of the Ayurvedic herbs are also supportive to cure an oral cancer.

What is Oral Cancer – Part 1

What is Oral cancer?

Oral cancer is also medically known as oral cavity cancer. Here, the cancerous cells usually affect the sections of lips, cheek, inside the floor of mouth, tongue, lips, throat and sinuses. It can also affect all the other hard or soft parts inside the mouth like the upper and lower divisions and even the gums and the teeth.  The cancerous cell development inside the mouth can also affect the sensitive parts of head and neck it not diagnosed well. It can even cause a death if the infection damages the lungs and throat. In the initial stage, cancer cells can look like small lesions or scratches and later can develop severe types. It can form nasal cavity and/or maxillary sinus. The cancer can develop in any age and can affect the glands that make saliva, tonsil glands and other lymphoid tissues. Usually, the oral cancer blocks those soft tissues of the mouth that disturb to build new cells. They also interrupt in the chain process of cell development. At times, the cancer cells become the reason of extra development of the cells and can form tumors. The tumors that develop in an oral cancer can be either malignant or benign. If the tumor inside the mouth is of benign type, it cannot be that harsh and according to medical experts, they can be detached. These cells also do not harm much the inside tissues of the mouth and they do not affect the other body parts. Nevertheless, if the cancerous cell development is Malignant tumor, they can be severe. It has been observed that if these cancerous cells are removed, they can come yet again. These tumors can also attack and kill the tissue of nearby parts of the mouth and even in the whole body. These cells usually break and form a number of other cells and spread in the blood vessels. In a condition of oral cancer, the cancerous cells can develop in the sections of oral cavity, which is known as Oropharynx. Initially, the cancer can occur on the tongue and the lower part of mouth. Then they can spread on the lips. The flat cells of this cancer are known as squamous cells. Medical experts say that the cancerous cells travel through lymphatic structure. This system generally carries a liquid fluid. These liquid fluids then pass through the areas or nose, neck, brain and lungs.

Oral Cancer Causes:

If a person goes for a regular check up of teeth and gums, can save or treat his body from any kind of oral caner. The person who suffers with oral cancer can have white or red or pink patches inside the mouth. The patches are medically known as leukoplakia. These are the most common signs of cancer inside the mouth. The patches that look white are mostly the reason for malignant. The other types of patches, which are of mixed red and white color, are known as erythroleukolakia and the red colored patches are known as erythroplakia.  The affected person may have tenderness on the lips; it can also have a slight or severe burning sensation. Generally, the soreness does not heal easily. The person can also have bleeding from inside the mouth. Many people have severe damages on the gums and may loss almost all the teeth. As the infection spread inside the throat, the person may get difficulty in swelling food items. The tonsil and also the ears can also have severe pain. The patient can also get bumps on the neck.

Now we have a clear understanding of What is Oral Cancer and we also have all the information on Oral Cancer Causes.

What is Oral Cancer – Part 2

The global study group has been granted two million dollars by the United States NIH for developing the diagnosis test that can offer a precise detection of dubious oral cancer lesions in below twenty minutes.

The present method employed for detecting oral cancer in suspicious lesions involve the use of scalpels for performing biopsies and off-location lab testing that could become time-consuming. The novel test would entail removal of cells using a brush that are then placed on a chip which is then inserted inside the analyser providing outcomes in just eight to ten minutes. The various plus points of this diagnosis method are reduced waiting time, trips to the facility and additionally NHS being able to save costs as a result.

The research group has already commenced conducting scientific trials on candidates from the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital since 2 years for fine-tuning the method and honing its sensitivity. In case the studies corroborate that novel technology is as effectual as conducting biopsies then it has the potential of imminently becoming a standard use technique during dental surgery procedures.

In case oral cancer is identified earlier on then the outlook of these patients is favourable, with a 5-year survival rate crossing ninety percent. Regrettably, several oral cancers fail to be detected earlier on and the general survival rate is merely around fifty percent which is the least noted among all critical cancer types.

The development is helmed by Rice Univ, U.S. Prof. John McDevitt who has been the brainchild behind the new micro-chip. The current technology borrows the recent practices in micro-chip designing, nano-technology, image-analysis, biotechnology, microfluid and pattern identification for shrinking several of the key tasks of an up-to-date scientific pathological lab into a nano biochip measuring similar to your visa card.

The nano biochips are of the throwaway kind and have slotting similar to that of debit cards into a battery-charged examining device. Placement of the biopsy sample taken with the brush is done and the microfluids-based circuits sluice the cells from the sample inside the reaction cavity. Following passage via the micro-fluidic conduits (as tiny as a vein) the cells are then exposed to the biomarkers that show reaction merely with particular forms of disease-ridden cells. The device employs duo light-emitting diodes for illuminating varied parts of the cells and cell sections. Normal and disease-ridden cells could be differentiated from each other by the manner in which they illuminate following reaction to the light-emitting diodes.

Present detection procedure entails removal of a tiny section of oral tissue to be forwarded for pathological examination that classically takes place in hospitals and taking 1 or more weeks and involving additional trips by patients. However, the novel method involves painless brushing for removal of some cells from the oral lining for analysis taking few minutes and the results obtainable during that very visit.

This technology would assist doctors in screening dubious oral lesions and segregating non-malignant oral lesions from the ones with risk of turning cancerous and ones where cancer has already started developing.

Eventually physicians as well as dentists might be able to employ this method for checking dubious oral lesions and assure most patients that they do not have cancer without the need of sending them to hospitals.

Oral Cancer Symptoms:

• The parts of the lips, gums, or other spots within the mouth would show the presence of some kind of swell up or thickening, lumpy formations, coarse/crusted/ or corroded areas.
• Patches that are white or red in colour with velvety texture stippled in the interiors of the mouth.
• Inexplicable bleeding in the oral cavity.
• Arcane lack of sensation, or pain and feeling of tenderness in any part of face, mouth or neck region.
• Continually appearing sores noted on the face, mouth or neck area which lose blood easily and fail to heal in a time span of two weeks.
• Feeling sore or as if some matter is lodged at the back of the throat.
• Difficulty experienced when one tries to ingest, chew, speak or move the jaw or tongue.
• A variation in the voice turning hoarse and persistent sore throat.
• Ear ache.
• A variation in the manner in which the teeth or dentures fit together.
• Drastic loss in weight.

Oral Cancer Causes:

The American Cancer Society has pointed out that men are twice as likely to develop oral cancer as compared to women, and men past the age of 50 years are at the maximum risk of developing oral cancer. According to an estimate, more than thirty-five thousand persons in the United States received an oral cancer diagnosis during the year 2008.

The risk elements that lead oral cancer comprise of:

• Smoking: Those who smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes are 6 times more prone to developing oral cancers than non-smokers.
• Smokeless tobacco consumers: Those consuming dip, snuffing or who chew tobacco products are fifty times more prone to developing cancers inflicting the cheeks, gums and the lip lining.
• Binge Drinking: Drinkers are noted to be 6 times more likely to develop oral cancers as compared to non-drinkers.
• A family past of cancer.
• Overexposure to the sun: Particularly at an early age.

It is a crucial point to be noted that more than twenty-five percentage of all oral cancer cases noted are amongst those who did not indulge in smoking and only drunk occasional alcohol.

Outlook for Persons detected With Oral Cancer:

On the whole, the one year survival rate among patients diagnosed with oral and pharynx cancer irrespective of stage is found to be eighty-one percent. 56% of detected oral cancer cases had a survival rate of five years while 41% of diagnosed oral cancer cases had a ten year survival rate.

Diagnosis & Tests:

• During the course of a general dental examination, the dentist would carry out a screening examination to check for oral cancer by feeling for any kind of lump formations or abnormal tissue alterations in the neck, head, face and oral cavity. During the mouth examination, the doctor would be searching for the presence of any kind of sores or discoloration in the tissues along with checking for any appearance of symptoms.
• The dentist would conduct a brush biopsy on the oral cavity if there any dubious tissue present in the mouth. This is non-invasive, pain-free procedure wherein a small portion of the tissue is removed and the sample sent for analysis for any irregular tissue growths. On the other hand, if the dentist is finding the tissue more dubious then a scalpel biopsy could be recommended. The procedure would be performed under the influence of local anesthesia by either the dentist or a specialist. These testing methods are crucial in early detection of oral cancer, prior to it having a chance to proliferate and advance.

Oral Cancer Treatment:

The treatment for oral cancer is performed in the similar manner as other cancerous forms; with the employment of surgery for removal of malignant growths. Subsequently, sessions of radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy (treatments with drugs) are conducted to annihilate the remnant cancer cells.

Prevention: Oral cancer could be averted by:

• Cessation of smoking or any form of tobacco, abstaining from alcohol or moderating its intake.
• Eating a proper balanced diet.
• Lowering the extent of sun exposure. Repetitive exposure could raise the likelihood of cancer particularly on the lip (most often in the lower lip). Always applying UV –A or B sun screen lotions over the skin and the lips prior to venturing out in the sun.

One could take proactive steps in early identification of oral cancer, if it were to develop, by adopting the following steps:

Carrying out self-examination once during a month :

With the assistance of an illuminated source and a mirror, one could have a look and feel the lips and the front part of the gums. By tilting the head backwards, one could observe and feel the roof of the mouth. By pulling the cheeks out, one could see the interiors of the mouth, the cheek lining and the backside of the gums. By pulling the tongue outside one could examine all the surfaces, back end of the throat and the base of the mouth. One could probe for any lumpy sensations or any swelling in the lymph nodes on either side of the neck and under the lower jaw line. One needs to promptly get in touch with the dentist in case of any alterations in the appearance of the mouth or any of the symptoms.

Regular scheduling for a dentist appointment :

Despite carrying out regular self-examinations, at times dubious spots or sores present in the mouth might miss one’s attention due their infinitesimal appearance thus making it tricky to detect by the untrained eye. The American Cancer Society has suggested that all individuals past the age of 20 years must get screened for oral cancer in a three year interval while those over 40years need to go in for yearly screening. During the course of the next dental appointment one needs to proactively ask for an oral examination as prompt detection would raise one’s probability of undergoing successful treatment.