What is oral cancer? Â
Oral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a Primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the nasal cavity or the Oral cancers may originate in any of the tissues of the mouth, and may be of varied histologic types: teratoma, adenocarcinoma derived from a major or minor salivary gland, lymphoma from tonsillar or other lymphoid tissue, or melanoma from the pigment producing cells of the oral mucosa. There are several types of oral cancers, but around 90% are squamous cell carcinomas, originating in the tissues that line the mouth and lips. Oral or mouth cancer most commonly involves the tongue. It may also occur on the floor of the mouth, cheek lining, gingiva (gums), lips, or palate (roof of the mouth). Most oral cancers look very similar under the microscope and are called squamous cell carcinoma. These are malignant and tend to spread rapidly.
Oral cancer can form in any part of the mouth or throat. Most oral cancers begin in the tongue and in the floor of the mouth. Anyone can get oral cancer, but the risk is higher if you are male, over age 40, use tobacco or alcohol or have a history of head or neck cancer. Frequent sun exposure is also a risk for lip cancer.
Sign and Symptoms of Oral cancer:
The most common symptoms of oral cancer include:
- Swellings/thickenings, lumps or bumps, rough spots/crusts/or eroded areas on the lips, gums, or other areas inside the mouth.
- The development of velvety white, red, or speckled (white and red) patches in the mouth.
- Unexplained bleeding in the mouth.
- Unexplained numbness, loss of feeling, or pain/tenderness in any area of the face, mouth, or neck.
- Persistent sores on the face, neck, or mouth that bleed easily and do not heal within 2 weeks.
- A soreness or feeling that something is caught in the back of the throat.
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing, speaking, or moving the jaw or tongue.
- Hoarseness, chronic sore throat, or change in voice.
- Ear pain.
- A change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together.
- Dramatic weight loss.
If you notice any of these changes, contact your dentist or health care professional immediately.
Causes of Oral Cancer: Â
- Tobacco and alcohol use– Most cases of oral cancer are linked to cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, or the use of both tobacco and alcohol together. Using tobacco plus alcohol poses a much greater risk than using either substance alone.
- HPV– Infection with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (specifically the HPV 16 type) has been linked to a subset of oral cancers.
- Age–Â Risk increases with age. Oral cancer most often occurs in people over the age of 40.
- Sun exposure– Cancer of the lip can be caused by sun exposure.
- Diet– A diet low in fruits and vegetables may play a role in oral cancer development.
Oral Cancer Treatment: Â
After a definitive diagnosis has been made and the cancer has been staged, treatment may begin. Treatment of oral cancers is ideally a multidisciplinary approach involving the efforts of surgeons, radiation oncologists, chemotherapy oncologists, dental practitioners, nutritionists, and rehabilitation and restorative specialists.
The extent of treatment for oral cancer depends on a number of factors. Among them are the location, size, type and extent of the tumor and stage of the disease. Your doctor also considers your age and general health. Treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy or a combination. You also may receive chemotherapy, or treatment with anticancer drugs.
For most patients, it is important to have a complete dental exam before cancer treatment begins. Because cancer treatment may make the mouth sensitive and more easily infected, doctors often advise to have dental work done before treatment begins.
Oral Cancer Surgery:
Surgery is the oldest form of treatment for cancer. It also has an important role in diagnosing and staging (finding the extent) of cancer. Advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to successfully operate on a growing number of patients. Today, less invasive operations are often done to remove tumors and to try to preserve as much normal oral cavity structure and function as possible. Surgery offers the greatest chance for cure for many types of cancer, especially those that have not yet spread to other parts of the body. When the disease is localized, a surgical procedure may be able to remove the cancer in its entirety. Most people with cancer will have some type of surgery.
Surgery to remove the tumor in the mouth is the usual treatment for patients with oral cancer. If there is evidence that the cancer has spread or a concern that it has spread, the surgeon may also remove lymph nodes in the neck. If the disease has spread to muscles and other tissues in the neck, the operation may be more extensive.
Radiation therapy for Oral Cancer: Â
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is the use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. Like surgery, radiation therapy is local therapy, affecting only the cells in the treated area. The energy may come from a large machine, or external radiation. Patients with large tumors may need both surgery and radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy maybe a treatment option for oral cancer patients who cannot undergo surgery or who have small tumors. In some cases, radiation therapy is used in conjunction with surgery. Oftentimes, the radiation is administered to shrink the tumor or eradicate cancer cells before the surgical procedure is performed. It may also be given after surgery to kill off any cancer cells that remain in the affected area.
There are a number of innovative tools and technologies that allow radiation oncologists at CTCA hospitals to deliver high doses of radiation to cancer cells, while limiting exposure to healthy tissues. Two such radiation therapies are Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and 3D conformal radiation therapy.
How Oral Cancer Diagnosed?
Your dentist will conduct an oral cancer screening exam, which is a routine part of a comprehensive dental examination. More specifically, your dentist will feel for any lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, head, face, and oral cavity. When examining your mouth, your dentist will look for any sores or discolored tissue, as well as check for or ask you about the signs and symptoms mentioned above.
Your dentist might perform an oral brush biopsy if he or she sees tissue in your mouth that looks suspicious. This test is painless and involves taking a small sample of the tissue and analyzing it for abnormal cells. Alternatively, if the tissue looks even more suspicious, your dentist might recommend a scalpel biopsy. This procedure usually requires local anesthesia and might be performed by your dentist or a specialist referred by your dentist. These tests are necessary to detect oral cancer early, before it has had a chance to progress and spread.
Oral Cancer Risk factors:
Oral cancer risk factors including tobacco, alcohol, diet and nutrition, ultraviolet light,human papillomavirus and immunosuppression and other factors.
The main causes of oral cancer have long been known and many cases of the disease could be prevented. The most important aetiological factors are tobacco usage and excess consumption of alcohol, and these factors together are thought to account for about three-quarters of oral cancer cases in Europe.
A diet deficient in fruit and vegetables also predisposes towards the development of oral cancers and it has been estimated that this may be responsible for 10-15% of cases in Europe. For lip cancers only, over exposure to UV light is implicated.
Risk in young and middle-aged adults-
The rising incidence and mortality rates in young and middle-aged adults is incontrovertible, but there has been debate over the causes of this increase and whether their disease is inherently more aggressive than that occurring in older patients. A series of studies in southern England looking at risk factors for patients under 45 years concluded that most young patients are exposed to the traditional risk factors of tobacco smoking and alcohol while consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables is protective. However, the relatively short duration of exposure to these known risk factors suggests that other factors may also be involved and there was a small sub-group of patients who had little, if any, exposure to the major risk factors.
Benefits of Oral Cancer Screening: Â
With increased technological advances, the dental profession has developed an oral cancer screening device to help early detection. Velscope is the recently developed oral cancer detection device that is used to enhance the visualization of oral abnormalities.Velscope works through the use of a safe blue light, shone into the oral cavity. This allows the dentist to view and help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.
The Velscope oral cancer screening device is quick, easy and convenient, allowing treatment to be swift. Velscope is the only adjunctive oral cancer screening system cleared to help clinicians detect, and surgeons remove, precancerous and cancerous lesions that may not be visible under white light examination.
The benefits of direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology, such as Velscope are that it is non-invasive, there are no stains or rinses required and it does not interfere with other care or treatments. As there is no need for mouthwashes, fluorides and paste in a Velscope screening there is no temporary or lasting discoloration.
Oral cancer screening should be implanted into your regular dental hygiene visits, in order to increase the chances of oral cancer detection.
Oral Cancer treatment surgery cost in India:Â
The cost of Oral cancer treatment surgery in India is much lower than that in any other developed country. International patients visit India for the oral cancer as they get it done at low cost which is competitive and reasonable. The cost of oral cancer surgery in Thailand and India are comparatively low. One can use the internet to carry out a research, identify and locate a clinic to obtain cost effective quality oral cancer treatment overseas.
COUNTRY |
COST |
India |
$ 2,800 |
Singapore |
$ 5,500 |
| USA | $ 12,000 |
Oral Cancer Treatment in India – A blessing in disguise
Oral cancer is a subtype of neck and head cancer where the cancerous tissue is located in the oral cavity. This cancer is caused by the primary lesion that originates in any oral tissue or also by extension from the neighboring anatomic structure. There are many types of oral cancer but most of them are squamous cell carcinomas. Few questions that a patient can ask the doctor is what are the treatment choices? And which is recommended? What are the risk and also the side effects of these treatments and the biggest question is how much would the treatment cost?
The basic steps for detection of oral cancer which any doctor follows is to do an MRI, endoscopy and CT scan which would give complete information on the steps that needs to be taken in future as these steps would determine how much has the oral cancer spread in the body. Treating oral cancer is generally a multi disciplinary approach that involves many departments like radiation oncologist, efforts of surgeon, dental practitioners, chemotherapy oncologist, and rehabilitation and restoration specialist. The silver lining is these days oral cancer can be treated if diagnosed by an experienced doctor and Oral Cancer Treatment in India is affordable as compared to other countries.
Getting Treated in India
The biggest advantage of getting treated in India is the cost. Curing these deadly diseases at Oncology hospitals anywhere in the world would cost a lot where as Oncology Hospital in India is very affordable which acts as a boon to many patients. With advent of 21st century even the health infrastructure has improved tremendously thereby boosting medical tourism in India. The services offered in India are now at par with rest of the developed countries and also the doctors and surgeons have a vast amount of experience behind them in treating this deadly disease. There have been major developments in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyedrabad, Mumbai, and Delhi where there are many good hospitals that help patients come out of the trauma with a positive mindset. These cities now a days has become a major medical tourism destination where people from all across the globe come to get treated because of the state of the art facilities and cost effective measures.
If you want to get oral cancer surgery at a cheap price without any compromise in quality then India is the best option for you. You can have a unique medi trip experience by getting oral cancer treatment in India. There are many cancer surgery hospitals in India at Mumbai, Delhi and Goa where you can get guaranteed cure for oral cancer. The price quote for oral cancer treatment offered by Indian cancer surgeons is quite affordable and you can also spend quality vacations in India at famous tourist resorts after completing your oral cancer surgery.
