What is a Mouth Cancer?

About mouth cancer​

 

In the UK, almost one person every hour is diagnosed with mouth cancer. Mouth cancer accounts for around 2% of all cancers. Statistics suggest that men are more likely to have mouth cancer than women. Almost two-thirds (68%) of all mouth cancer patients are male. Mouth cancer is the 14th most common cancer in the UK.  For men, mouth cancer is now the 9th most common cancer.5 Mouth cancer is also strongly related to age. More than three-in-four (80%) of new cases are in those over the age of 55.

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Mouth cancer can start anywhere in your mouth, including:

 

• Your cheek lining and inside of your lips

• The floor of your mouth and undersurface of your tongue

• The edges of your tongue

• Your gums, including the triangle area of the gum behind your back teeth

 

Nine out of 10 mouth cancers grow in the flat, skin-like cells that line the inside of your mouth. These are called squamous cell carcinomas.

Other, rarer types of mouth cancer include:

 

• Salivary gland cancer, which starts in your salivary gland cells

• Lymphoma, which can start in lymph tissue near the base of your tongue and tonsils

• Melanoma, which can start in skin pigment cells in your mouth or on your lips

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Symptoms of mouth cancer

 

You might not notice any symptoms at first if you have mouth cancer. But as the cancer progresses, you may start to develop different symptoms.

These can include:

• A lump in your mouth or on your lip that doesn’t go away after a couple of weeks

• An ulcer in your mouth that isn't healing

• Any persistent 'hoarseness'

• A lump in your neck or enlarged lymph nodes in your neck

• A sore throat that you’ve had for a long time, and doesn’t seem to be getting better

• Difficulty or pain when chewing or swallowing

• Unexplained bleeding in your mouth

• Difficulty moving your jaw

• Red, or red and white patches in your mouth

• Numbness of your lip or another part of your mouth

• Loose teeth or dentures that no longer fit you properly

• Difficulties with your speech – you may sound hoarse or quieter, or you may slur your words

• Pain in your ear – caused by damage to a nerve near your tongue

• Unexplained weight loss

 

 

These symptoms aren't necessarily signs of mouth cancer, but if you have any of them, see your dentist.

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Diagnosis of mouth cancer

 

Early diagnosis is vital. It increases the chances of beating the disease and gives a much higher quality of life. Self-checks and regular dental visits are extremely important for spotting mouth cancer in its initial stages.

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Your dentist might spot the early signs of mouth cancer during a routine check-up.  If you see your dentist with symptoms of mouth cancer, they’ll ask you some questions about your symptoms and your medical history. They may ask to examine your mouth, as well as feel your neck and face to check for swellings.

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If your dentist thinks your symptoms could be due to mouth cancer, they will refer you to a doctor specialising in mouth cancer.  The specialist may want to take a biopsy (a small sample of tissue) from the affected area. This will be sent to a lab for testing to check if there are any cancerous cells. If the affected area is in a place they can access easily, they may just give you a local anaesthetic to numb the area and gently remove a small piece of tissue.  Sometimes, your doctor may need to use a special instrument called a nasoendoscope or laryngoscope to look at the affected area and take a biopsy. These are narrow, flexible tubes that can be passed up your nose and into your throat.

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Treatment of mouth cancer

 

If you're found to have cancer, you will usually need to have other tests to see how big your cancer is and whether it’s spread. This is called staging. Staging can help doctors estimate how your cancer is likely to progress, and what the best course of treatment is for you.

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What treatment you’re offered will depend on what type of mouth cancer you have, where it is and how far it’s spread. Your doctor will discuss your treatment options with you. If you smoke, they will encourage you to stop before you start any treatment. This is because smoking can increase your risk of complications and reduce the chance that treatment will work.

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You will usually be offered surgery or radiotherapy first. Your doctor may also suggest other non-surgical treatments, such as chemotherapy and biological therapy.

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Surgery

 

The aim of surgery is to remove all of the cancer. Exactly what type of surgery you’ll need will depend on where your cancer is, how big it is and whether it’s spread. Your surgeon will explain what they’re planning and what to expect afterwards.

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Causes of mouth cancer

 

The most common causes of mouth cancer are smoking and drinking more alcohol than recommended.  Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is also thought to cause cancer of the mouth in some people.  As we get older, our cells and DNA become more damaged. This is either biological or from exposure to the other risk factors. We do not know why mouth cancer rates are higher in men, however, it could be due to greater exposure to risk factors.

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Prevention of mouth cancer

 

Making some simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of mouth cancer. These include the following.

• If you smoke or chew tobacco, try to stop

• Cut down your alcohol consumption, ensuring you don’t exceed the 14 units per week advised by the NHS (14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.)

• Look after your teeth and visit your dentist for regular check-ups. Your dentist will look for signs of mouth cancer during every check-up

• Make sure you are following a healthy, balanced diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables

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