Today we are back to writing on our blog to talk about the symptoms you should pay attention to if they were to occur regarding oral cancer, how to take action to treat them and most importantly who to contact.
Mouth tumor symptoms
Among the many issues we could face regarding our mouth´s health, there are some symptoms to which we should pay more attention since they could suggest a tumor in the oral cavity, some of these include: a pain or a burning feeling that persists on the lips, in the mouth or in the throat, presence of a painful mass, a small lump inside the mouth or in the throat. Also the presence of white or red plates on the gums, on the palate or on the tongue, Bleeding or intoripidation of the sense of taste, you persistent sore throat or the sensation of a mass in the throat. We also find the difficulty in chewing or swallowing, the enlarged jaw that does not allow the denture to adhere and makes its use annoying, difficulty in positioning it, modified voice, ear pain. Finally we find red / white wounds or plaques in the mouth that bleed and do not heal.
Now here a more detailed list of every sign and symptom you could be dealing with:
- Red (erythorplakia), white (leukoplakia) or red and white patches (erythroleukoplakia) on the lining of the mouth, tongue and gums. There may be rough, crusty or numb area inside the mouth as well.
- One or more wounds or ulcers in the mouth that do not heal for over three weeks
- A swelling, or hard solid inside the mouth that lasts over three weeks
- Swallowing pain and food. This is called dysphagia and is usually seen if the pharynx or throat is involved
- Pain or purging from inside the mouth
- A loose tooth or teeth that presents without any trauma, injury or reason
- Pain over the neck and jaws that refuses to soften
- Hoarseness of speech and speech problems. This is seen in cancers that affect the pharynx
- Unexplained weight loss and easy fatigability
Tonsillar cancer symptoms
Tonsillar cancers are commonly also of the scaly cell cancer type, these are commonly lymphomas and can present as a tumor above the neck. It presents symptoms like sore throat, pain over the ear and sensitivity of something stuck in the throat which can lead to bleeding.
Oral mucosal symptoms of cancer
Cancer of the mucosal linings of the interior of the masks, or oral mucosal cancer, is usually painless in the early stages. It is painful only when it becomes ulcerated and further infected, after this you may experience bleeding and difficulty in chewing.
Symptoms of tongue cancer
- Tongue cancer usually develops significantly before showing symptoms of lack of tongue movement, but it is easily defined and disseminated. This type of cancer commonly occur over the sides of the tongue and is manifested as whitish patches called leukoplakia.
- These injuries are usually larger than 2 cm at the presentation.
- The injury may also appear gray-red-gray with a rough and hairy surface.
- There may be pain at in the tongue or in the ear.
- Those that appear at the base of the tongue are usually silent until they have spread to the surrounding structures.
- Tongue cancer is commonly of the scaly type of cell cancer.
Treat and intervene in oral cancer.
The oral cavity tumors can be treated with surgical removal of the tumor, surrounding lymph nodes or a particular type of radiotherapy, brachytherapy (treatment with ionizing radiation, whose source is applied directly to the body surface to be treated or a short distance from it). Rehabilitation may include the intervention of a dietitian, a surgeon or a speech therapist, as well as the application of a dental prosthesis or other services. If a patient shows difficulty in speaking or expressing themselves after an anticancer treatment, the intervention of a speech therapist is generally requested as soon as possible.
