Oral cancer or mouth cancer has a very high incidence in India.
Key Highlights about Oral Cancer:
- Prevention for oral cancer is possible
- Gutkha and tobacco chewing are harmful to your body and can cause many cancers. This information needs to reach the masses.
- Early diagnosis and effective treatment are possible with oral cancer.
- Punitive damages for selling and producing addictive substances should be seriously considered if we want to lower the deaths and suffering due to oral cancer.
- Awareness is crucial.
Did you know India has a large percentage of oral cancer sufferers?
Risk factors for Oral cavity malignancy
Smoking: The incidence of oral cancer occurs six times more often in smokers than in nonsmokers.
Smoking and alcohol consumption account for risk factors in more than 70% of those affected.
Tobacco chewing: Did you know tobacco chewing and the use of tobacco-related products have a strong correlation to oral cancer?
Betel leaf, supari, powdered tobacco, and lime are often a favorite for many. They keep this quid in the vestibule of the mouth and often cancer develops at that site.
Did you know more than 30% of cancer affected in India have oral cancer
Did you know children as young as 10 starts using tobacco called gul in the small towns and villages? Before I worked in small-town India, I didn’t realize the extent of the problem. But now it’s shocking what can occur. Both economically well to do and economically backward males and females in small towns and villages are fond of these addictions.
Smokeless tobacco
Alcohol: Did you know cancers of the aerodigestive tract , that is the airways and food pipe occurs six times more commonly in association with alcohol addiction?
Human papillomavirus 16 is also associated with this cancer.
Dental caries, alcohol mouthwashes, hot spicy food, leukoplakia, avitaminosis, malnutrition, syphilis, cirrhosis, Plummer Vinson syndrome, lichen planus, chronic hyperplastic candidiasis, Human immunodeficiency syndrome, xeroderma pigmentosa.Dyskeratosis congenita .
Submucosal fibrosis, ulcers, malignancies and burning sensation of tongue and mouth which is so bad, that even sweet food gives a tingling sensation. It is a spectrum that is hard to miss with these addictions.
On this Cancer awareness day, I want to let you know ., that it’s not okay to try it even once.
The younger you start abusing tobacco paste and tobacco products, the stronger and higher is the damage to your body.
Which are the definitive premalignant lesions causing mouth cancer?
Leukoplakia(white patch) & erythroplakia (red patch )are the definitive premalignant lesions causing mouth cancer.
Melanosis/Mucosal hyperpigmentation: While one-fourth of mucosal melanoma may present like benign melanosis, the exact incidence of melanosis turning malignant is not documented.
HPV infection may cause oral or oropharyngeal cancer if a person engages in oral sex.
What is oral cancer?
Oral or mouth cancer is malignancy affecting lip, commissures, the floor of the mouth, cheek lining, gingiva, alveolus, soft palate hard palate, the tongue, retromolar region.
Symptoms & early signs of mouth cancer you should watch out for!
This cancer can appear anywhere inside your mouth and is a part of the head -neck malignancy spectrum. The symptoms to watch out for include most ulcers, nodules, discoloration not healing after two weeks.
Ulcer or nodule not healing even after two weeks. Swelling, thickened patches, reddish areas, whitish areas, raw areas, eroded patches on the lips gums and anywhere else in the mouth.
Pain may or may not be present.
Bleeding areas may or may not be present.
Difficulty opening mouth or moving tongue.
The feeling of something stuck in the throat.
Ill-fitting dentures, dentures falling off repeatedly when they used to fit before.
Neck lump on one or both sides may be the presenting feature in advanced cases.
Significant weight loss: More than five percent weight loss from previous body weight over the last three months
The good news is early diagnosis is possible since it’s a visible part of the body most of the time.
The bad news is it can spread rapidly and if its too big surgical excision is often disfiguring and needs extensive reconstruction.
Where to get Treated?
- Most of the Government Medical colleges in India provide cancer surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy at free or fraction of costs of private hospitals. You have to remember the surgery requires considerable expertise and a long follow up period. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are expensive but often needed for comprehensive treatment
- In West Bengal among the private players Tata Medical centre and Apollo Hospital provide comprehensive Cancer treatment.
What country has the highest rate of oral cancer?
Papua New Guinea had the highest rate of cancer of the lip and oral cavity in 2018, followed by Pakistan.
India is third in position.
What is the most common type of oral cancer?
Lip cancer, the most common form of oral cancer, affects mostly men.
Two main types of oral cancer
- Squamous cell cancer 85-90%[1]
- Basal cell cancer
More Resources:
The truth about Mouth Cancer treatment FAQ(part2)
World Cancer Day 2022 Theme: Where India Stands #WorldCancerDay
Cancer prevention:Living life meaningfully
Cancer prevention diet
Ovarian cancer
Oral cancer
Tongue Cancer
Difficulty Swallowing in Cancer
Throat Cancer
Truth about mouth cancer
Head Neck Cancer treatment in India
Life after Radiotherapy
Truth about Chewing tobacco
Say no to tobacco
Air pollution a noncontrollable risk factor for NCD
Apollo Hospital Proton Therapy
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References:
1)Stell and Maran’s Head &Neck Surgery
So deeply-entrenched is the gutkha and khaini mafia that their sale continues unabated despite being banned in several cities. And more rampantly in smaller towns and cities because of poor implementation of such bans by the authorities. In my opinion, all gutka, khaini and pan masala manufacturing units must first be shut down.