oral cancer symptoms

Oral cancer: symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

cheek cancer

signs of lip cancer

The tumor of the oral cavity, which most frequently affects men, is linked to a series of risk factors. Here's what and how to prevent them

The oral cavity includes the two front thirds of the tongue, the gums, the inner surface of the cheeks and lips, the lower part of the mouth under the tongue, the upper part of the mouth (the hard palate) and the area beyond the teeth of the judgment.

SYMPTOMS: Among the symptoms that may suggest the presence of a tumor of the oral cavity: pain or burning of unknown nature persistent to the lips, to the mouth or in the throat, formation of a painful mass, type nodule, on the lips, inside the mouth or in the throat, appearance of a white or red plaque on the gums, on the tongue or on the inside lining of the mouth, bleeding or numbness inside the mouth, sore throat that does not heal or sensation of the presence of a foreign body in the throat, difficulty or pain when chewing or swallowing, swelling of the jaw that prevents the denture from adhering perfectly and makes it bothersome to use, pain and difficulty in putting dentures, changes in the voice, pain in the ears, wounds or red or white plaques reddish bleeding and late to heal, increasing difficulty to correct chewing.

RISK ORALACTORS: Among the risk factors of oral cancer, more frequent in men, we find: cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, any traumatic condition of the inside surface of the mouth, oral sex, poor oral hygiene, chewing of tobacco, incorrect placement of dental prostheses, sun exposure and use of the pipe, poor diet of fruit and vegetables visu of the Papilloma, rash Lichen ruber planus. DIAGNOSIS: The main examinations to identify the tumors of the oral cavity, in the absence of symptoms, are the inspection and palpation of the floor of the mouth and tongue. For the diagnosis of pharyngeal and laryngeal tumors in the presence of symptoms the most useful test is laryngoscopy, a painless procedure that allows the doctor to inspect the larynx and the vocal cords. The instrument for laryngoscopy is called an optic fiber laryngoscope, has its own illumination at the end and is introduced into the throat through one of the nostrils. Each suspected lesion of the mucosa must be biopsied by taking a small portion of tissue.

2CURA ORAL CABLE: Oral tumors can be treated by surgical removal of the tumor, surrounding lymph nodes or with a particular type of radiotherapy, brachytherapy (treatment with ionizing radiation, whose source is directly applied to the body surface to be treated or short distance from it). Rehabilitation may include the intervention of a dietician, a surgeon or a speech therapist, as well as the application of a dental prosthesis or other services. If a patient shows difficulty speaking or expressing himself after an anticancer treatment, the intervention of a speech therapist is usually requested as soon as possible.

ORAL CABLE 4PREVENTION: To prevent oral cancers, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, do not smoke, do not drink alcohol and spirits, maintain a healthy and well-groomed mouth, and consult a dentist regularly. In particular, old and / or inadequate prostheses must be redone. Periodic self-examination of the mouth is important: check all the mouth, above and below the tongue, the side of the tongue, the cheeks, the palate up to the uvula. Use condoms during sexual intercourse, scrupulously caring for intimate hygiene and use adequate protection in cases of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, lamps and tanning beds.The glossectomy can be done via a few different approaches depending on what part of the tongue it needs to be removed, how much of the tongue it needs to be removed and what associated procedures might be required.

Different Approaches to Performing a Glossectomy

Transoral For small cancers of the oral tongue, the entire surgery can be done through the mouth.

Transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) For tumors at the base of the tongue, or oropharynx, a robotic-assisted surgical removal through the mouth might be an option.

Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) In this technique, a laryngoscope placed through the mouth exposes various parts of the base of tongue. A laser is then used to cut around the tumor to remove it.

Mandibulotomy For tumors in the base of the tongue or the back part of the oral tongue, your surgeon might recommend a mandibulotomy. This involves making a cut at the middle of the lower jawbone and swinging the jaw to the side to expose the back part of the tongue or floor of the mouth.

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Transcervical with pharyngotomy This is another method to access the back part of the tongue and the base of the tongue. In this technique, an incision is made in the neck, and the neck is connected with the oropharynx through what is known as a lateral or medical pharyngectomy approach. The tongue is pulled down into the neck, and the tumor from the back part of the tongue can be removed without having to cut the jawbone.

Once the tumor is removed, your surgeon will send the margins for immediate frozen section analysis to see if there are any cancerous cells along the margin of the resection. Once the margins are reported as clear, the reconstruction will begin. At the end of the procedure, you will wake up from anesthesia.

Recovery and aftercare

The recovery course will depend on the extent of the surgery and reconstruction. With some surgeries, you could go home after a few hours of observation in the recovery room. Others might require to stay in the hospital for one to two weeks. A stay longer than two weeks is usually due to some sort of post-operative complication that your doctors are working to improve.

If you stay in the hospital for recovery, the recovery can happen in a few different parts of the hospital. Your pathway might include the recovery room, intensive care unit, step-down unit and a shared or private "floor" bed. As soon as possible and when the time is right for each step, you will progress from having your tubes and drains removed to being disconnected from the lines, and eventually getting up and out of bed. Asking for assistance to get out of bed to move around will help your recovery. If a tracheotomy is performed, the goal will be to have it removed prior to discharge, but that might depend on a number of factors including how quickly the swelling recedes.

Once your doctors determine that you will not need more in-patient level care, you will be ready for discharge. The discharge planning process begins well before you are ready to leave the hospital. While some patients can go home from the hospital with or without visiting nurses or receiving home care, others might go to a rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility for a short while before returning home. Your discharge planning team, which includes your doctors, social workers, nurses and physical therapists, along with you and your family, will determine the best place for you to go once you are ready to leave the hospital.

Any additional reconstruction, cosmetic procedures or treatments are usually planned after discharge. This gives you time to recover from the initial surgery, get the pathology results of the surgery and make appropriate arrangements for the next steps.Risks

As with any procedure, there are risks in undergoing a glossectomy that you need to be aware of. The smaller the region of the removed tongue, the lesser the chance of many of these, especially difficulty with speaking and swallowing:

Bleeding, including bruising: If there is severe bleeding after the procedure, your surgeon might need to quickly take you back to the operating room to stop the bleeding.

Infection: The tongue has a wonderful blood supply and infections of the tongue are extremely uncommon. Still, as with any surgical procedure, there is always risk of an infection after the surgery, particularly if the glossectomy is associated with other procedures that might connect the mouth with the neck. This might require antibiotics and / or drainage of the infection.

Dysarthria, or difficulty speaking: The extent of your speech is affected will depend on how much and what part of the tongue is removed. You might work with a speech and swallowing therapist to improve your function.

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing: The extent of your swallowing is affected will depend on how much and what part of the tongue is removed. You might work with a speech and swallowing therapist to improve your function.

Aspiration: After removal of a large part of your tongue, particularly the base of the tongue, it might be difficult to control your swallow mechanism. This can lead to saliva, drinks and food falling into your voice box and into your lungs, which lead to pneumonia. You should work with a speech and swallowing therapist to improve your function.

Salivary fistula: This term is used to describe when saliva is leaking from the mouth into the neck. The chances of this increase if you had previous treatment, including radiation and / or chemotherapy, because healing of wounds might be impaired in these cases. Typical treatment for this is to place a drain to divert the saliva away from critical structures in the neck and later to place packing into that diverted tract to let the body heal it up on its own. In some cases, an additional surgical procedure might be required to close the leak.