PRACTICALLY ACTIVE: Who needs to know about oral cancers? Anyone with a mouth

(Democrat-Gazette photo illustration/CELIA STOREY)
(Democrat-Gazette photo illustration/CELIA STOREY)

Close to 53,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancers this year, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Oral cancers cause more than 9,750 deaths a year, and of the newly diagnosed, only slightly more than half will be alive in five years.

And that is a number that has not improved in decades.

So maybe we should become aware of oral cancer.

April has been designated as Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Organizations including the foundation and the American Institute for Cancer Research are urging dental care providers to offer free cancer screenings, and they urge everyone to learn more about the cancers that show up on the lips, tongue, cheeks, pharynx and larynx.

Often a cancer is only discovered after it spreads out from the mouth, most likely into the lymph nodes of the neck. Prognosis at this stage of discovery is significantly worse than when it is caught in the mouth.

But in the early stages the cancer can grow without producing pain or symptoms we recognize. And it has a high risk of producing secondary tumors.

Patients who have one encounter with the disease have up to a 20 percent greater risk of developing it again.

Historically, the majority of people affected were older than 40 at the time of discovery, but today oral cancers occur more frequently in younger people. Research points to several possible causes, including the human papillomavirus version 16 and "smokeless" chewing or spitting tobacco. Smokeless products might help reduce lung cancers, but they have a negative effect on the rates of oral and pancreatic cancer and periodontal disease.

For decades, oral cancer has affected six men for every woman. It is also a cancer that occurs twice as often in the black population, and black people's survival statistics are lower. The foundation contends that it is unlikely a genetic reason for oral cancers will be found, and that lifestyle choices remain the biggest cause.

Other than the lips, which are not a major site for the occurrence, common areas where oral cancer develops are the front of the mouth, the tongue and the floor of the mouth. People who use plug tobacco can get tumors between the lip or cheek or on the soft tissue covering the inside of the jaw where the tobacco is held.

Experts recommend that any sore or discolored area of the mouth that does not heal within 14 days should be looked at by a professional. Other worrisome symptoms include a painless lump or mass that can be felt inside the mouth or neck, pain or difficulty in swallowing, speaking or chewing, any wart-like mass, a hoarseness that lasts a long time or numbness in the oral or facial region. Persistent earaches can also be a sign.

If something is found, a biopsy of the area is in order. It may require a specialist and a little time, but it's worth it if there is a problem.

Treatment could involve surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, rehabilitation and the expertise of restorative specialists, depending on the area affected and the severity. It might also include dental work and extractions; but new extractions or dental surgeries after treatment for the cancer should be avoided.

As with other diseases, people are different and their treatments will probably vary.

There is a "Check Your Mouth" website (checkyourmouth.org) that gives instructions and a video on how to do a thorough self-check. All they say you really need to start is a mirror you can get close to, a good light source and a piece of gauze.

They sell a kit that includes a mirror, and a throat scope/tongue blade for about $20.

And speaking of awareness, there are some pictures of oral cancers on the foundation website. Do not look at them.

Email me at:

rboggs@arkansasonline.com

Style on 04/22/2019

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