Oral, Lip, Tongue, Mouth Cancer Overview
Oral, Lip, Tongue, Mouth Cancer at a Glance
Oral cancer, or sometimes referred to as mouth cancer, develops in the oral cavity that includes all parts of one's mouth such as your cheeks, tongue, lips, gums, floor or roof of the mouth. Oral cancer forms whenever the cells in the mouth or on the lips mutate.
Oral, Lip, Tongue, Mouth Cancer Cause
Risk factors that contribute to the growth of oral cancer may include:
- Family history of cancer
- Smoking cigar, cigarette, or pipes are 6X more likely than nonsmokers to acquire oral cancers
- Smokeless tobacco users such as snuff, dip, or chewing tobacco products are 50X more likely to get cancers of the gums, cheek, and lining of the lips
- Frequent consumption of alcohol. Oral cancers are around 6X more prevalent in drinkers than in nondrinkers
- Excessive sun exposure, particularly at a young age. The sun's ultraviolet radiation can lead to lip cancers
- Human papillomavirus. Specific HPV strains happen to be etiologic risk factors for OSCC, or Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. A certain form of this virus is resulting in a growing number of healthy men under 50 to contract cancers in the back of their mouths and throats due to oral sex.
- Age. Oral cancers could take a number of years to grow. The majority of cases, people discover they get it after age 55.
- Gender. Men are twice as likely as women to develop oral cancer. This can be because men smoke and drink more than women do.
- Poor diet. Studies have discovered a connection between oral cancer and hardly eating fruits and vegetables.
It's important to know that more than 25% of all oral cancers happen in people who don't smoke and who just drink alcohol sometimes.
Oral, Lip, Tongue, Mouth Cancer Symptoms & Signs
Oral cancer may show up in several ways such as the following:
- mouth or lip sore that does not heal
- a red or white patch on the inside of your mouth
- loose teeth
- a lump or growth inside your mouth
- mouth pain
- ear pain
- trouble or pain when chewing, opening your mouth, or swallowing
