Understanding Mouth, Nose & Throat Cancers
An oral cancer can be any cancer of the mouth, throat and lower sinuses. Each year, around 50,000 people are diagnosed with an oral cancer, and it’s usually about 2 men for every 1 woman who gets diagnosed with one of these maladies. Most of the time, the causes of a given oral cancer are easy to identify, because they’re lifestyle-related. This also means that, most of the time, a patient could have easily avoided getting oral cancer by taking better care of themselves and their mouth.
Causes of Oral Cancer
Oral cancers, and all cancers, begin when the DNA in cells mutates, and adverse (read: cancer) cells begin to proliferate. By far, the majority of oral cancer cases are caused by alcohol consumption, tobacco use, or an unhealthy amount of sun exposure:
Alcohol: People who drink heavily are about six times more likely than those who don’t to develop cancers in the mouth, which often start in the soft tissues of the roof, floor and cheeks in your oral cavity. Worse – people who drink and smoke are another six times more likely to develop oral cancers than those who only do one or the other. Scary, right?
Sun Exposure: Failing to use sunscreen isn’t just a cause of skin cancer, but also cancers in the lip! Yet another reason to use sunscreen and lip balms with SPF protection in their formulas. UV damage from sun exposure in early childhood can also be a culprit.
Tobacco Use: The longer a person uses tobacco, the more likely they’ll eventually develop an oral cancer. The type of cancer a tobacco user develops will be different depending on if they smoke the tobacco or chew it. Chewing tobacco often results in cancer in the gums, lips and inner lining of the cheeks. On the other hand, people who smoke tobacco are more likely to develop oral cancer in the lips or soft palate at the back of the throat.
Symptoms of Oral Cancers
Signs and symptoms that you’re developing oral cancer include:
- Sores in the mouth, throat or lips that won’t go away
- New, bumpy and lumpy textures in your gums
- Unexplained bleeding
- Red and white patches in the mouth that resemble tonsillitis, but don’t go away with medication
- Difficulty moving your jaw – chewing, swallowing, speaking
- Persistent soreness or numbness in the ears, mouth, throat and/or face
- Unexplained rapid weight loss
- Swelling and movement in your bite
Risk Factors for Developing Oral Cancers
Lifestyle factors like alcohol consumption and tobacco use are huge culprits of nose, throat and mouth cancers. But there are other risk factors that increase your vulnerability to developing oral cancer:
- Chronic bad diet
- Being over 40 years old
- Family history of cancers
- HPV
- Weak immune system and immunosuppressants
- Having already had an oral cancer
- Genetic disorders
- Exposure to radiation
What You can Do to Prevent Oral Cancer
Besides stopping that nasty cigarette habit and cooling off on your wine consumption, perhaps the best way to prevent the dangerous complications oral cancer can cause is to see your dentist regularly, and at the first sign of anything “weird” going on in your mouth. As with all cancers, early detection is key to effective treatment that minimizes damage to your mouth as well as the rest of your body. Even sores that indicate oral cancer are often found to be only precancerous in their early stages.
So remember: brush, floss, eat healthy, and go see your local dentist!