Oral Cancer

Combatting Oral Cancer Together

What is Oral Cancer?

Oral cancer belongs to the category of head and neck cancers and manifests within different specific areas of the oral cavity, including the lips, inner cheeks, gums, the floor of the mouth, the oral tongue, and the hard palate.

What causes oral cancer?

Oral cancer originates from the squamous cells present in your oral cavity. When the DNA of these normal squamous cells undergoes alterations, they transform into cancerous cells, leading to uncontrolled growth and division.

Causes:

Common signs and symptoms of oral cancer

  • Sores on your lip or inside your mouth that bleed easily and don’t heal within three weeks.
  • Rough spots or crusty areas on your lips, gums or inside of your mouth.
  • Areas in your mouth that bleed for no obvious reason.
  • Numbness, pain or tenderness on your face and neck or in your mouth that occur without apparent cause.
  • Difficulty chewing or swallowing, speaking or moving your jaw or tongue.
  • Unintentional weight loss.
  • Earache.
  • Chronic bad breath.
  • Reduced mouth opening
  • Unexplained loosening of tooth

What is the diagnosis for oral cancer?

  • Through examination of past history of alcohol and tobacco consumption
  • Physical examination of all primary and secondary sites of the occurrence of cancer.
  • Imaging Tests like special x-rays(Panorex), CT scans and MRI scans.
  • A Biopsy based on the results of the symptoms

Biopsy :

A small amount of suspicious growth in the oral cavity will be sent to a pathologist for microscopic examination. This helps in confirmation of oral cancer

Incisional biopsy:In this, a piece of the suspicious lesion is taken without removing it all (3 to 5 mm tissue from edge is removed).This is done in outpatient clinic under local anaesthesia . Whole procedure takes few minutes and patient can go home immediately.

Results of biopsy will come in 3 days

Excisional biopsy: In this technique, the whole area of concern is removed. This is done rarely when lesion is suspicious but not frankly malignant. Depending on report further surgery to revise margins is required.

Neck node Biopsy : If needed, the lump in the neck is examined by a biopsy.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC):This is the most common and easiest way to do biopsy in which a tiny needle is placed into the lump over the neck and some cells are drawn out through a syringe. This will be sent to a pathologist for microscopic examination. If needed, FNAC will be done with USG or CT guidance.

Core biopsy : It is similar to FNAC, but a larger needle is used to remove a core of tissue from the lump

 

Know the 5 stages of oral cancer :

  • Through examination of past history of alcohol and tobacco consumption
  • Physical examination of all primary and secondary sites of the occurrence of cancer.
  • Imaging Tests like special x-rays(Panorex), CT scans and MRI scans.
  • A Biopsy based on the results of the symptoms

Surgical Treatment options for oral cancer :

The below treatment methods are purely based on site, size, location, stage of the oral cancer and also differs from patient to patient. Most prefferd treatment  is surgery for oral cancer lesions:

  • Early-stage tumors are treated with surgery
  • Advanced-stage tumors are treated with surgery followed by chemo- radiotherapy.

The most common surgeries for oral cancer are :

  • Through examination of past history of alcohol and tobacco consumption
  • Physical examination of all primary and secondary sites of the occurrence of cancer.
  • Imaging Tests like special x-rays(Panorex), CT scans and MRI scans.
  • A Biopsy based on the results of the symptoms

Primary tumor surgery

Glossectomy- hemigolssectomy 

  • Wide excision
  • Near total glossectomy

Diseased portion of tongue is removed with a margin of normal tongue all around.If defect is big it will affect speech and swallowing. So reconstruction is planned in these cases.

Mandibulectomy

  • Marginal mandibulectomy
  • Segmental mandibulectomy
  • Composite resection

Where ever possible we try to preserve mandible. In early cancer we remove a margin of jaw bone called marginal mandibulectomy , so that continuity of jaw bone preserved hence better chewing and cosmesis.

When cancer effects full thickness of jaw bone the full thickness is removed and bone reconstructed with fibula free flap or scapula. This will restore continuity of jaw and better function and normal shape.

  • Maxillectomy
  • Wide excision of buccal mucosa cancer
  • Neck dissection
  • Reconstructive surgery- Reconstruction is required to restore function and cosmesis after removal of cancer. So it is done in same sitting to improve quality of life. Free flaps ,regional flaps and local flaps are used.
Surgical treatment might be combined with other treatments as well like:
  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiation therapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Immunotherapy

Stay in Hospital

Most patients need a average stay of 4 days for minor surgery to 7 days in major surgeries. ICU stay is required for major surgery. Patients will have feeding tube for maintaining nutrition during hospital stay.

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Faq's

It is around 1 lakh - 3 lakhs, sometimes vary on seriousness of the cancer

It can be cured if found and treated at an early stage (when it's small and has not spread)

2 weeks is the recovery period for oral cancer treatment but again it depends on the condition of the patient.

Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer or cancer of the oral cavity

Dr Rahul Buggaveeti is the best oral cancer doctor in Hyderabad

Dr. Rahul Buggaveeti also offers specialised treatment for