what is mouth cancer?

Question

I have had a hole but like a cut on the side of my cheek for the last month. it dosent hurt i dont know what it is i thought it would heal up by know.

Answer 1

It is called ORAL CANCER.

Cancer of the mouth or the oral cavity and the oropharynx is referred to as oral cancer.

Oral cavity describes a broad array of parts within the mouth including the lips, lining on the lips and cheeks referred to as buccal mucosa, teeth, tongue, floor of the mouth under the tongue, hard palate (which is the firm bony top of the mouth), and the gums. The oropharynx includes the back of the tongue, the soft palate, and the tonsils (fleshy part on either side of the mouth). There are glands through out the oral cavity that produce saliva that keep the mouth moist, known as salivary glands. The secretions from these glands called saliva aid in digesting the food. The symtoms and other details given by you is not sufficiant to tell anything and it can be done only by an oncologist.

Now you have to see an Oncologist to evaluate the actual positon of your dease and give treatement thereon. Do not go on hearsay from others. Only an Oncologist can assess your problem.

After the cancer is diagnosed and staged, the medical team dealing with the case will discuss the choice of treatment. This may be chemotherapy alone or in combination with radiation therapy or surgery. The treatment option is made depending upon the stage of the disease, the physical health of the patient, and after discussing the possible impact of the treatment on speech, swallowing, chewing, or general appearance.

As CANCER IS STILL AN ENIGMA please do not neglect. As already suggested get in touch with your Doctor and he will do the needful. Best of Luck-

Answer 2

The 2 most common kinds of premalignant lesions in the oropharynx are leukoplakia and erythroplakia.


Leukoplakia is a white or whitish area. It can often be easily scraped off without bleeding. Only about 5% of leukoplakias are cancerous at diagnosis or will become cancerous within 10 years if not treated.


Erythroplakia is a raised, red area. If scraped, it may bleed. Erythroplakia is generally more severe than leukoplakia and has a higher chance of becoming cancerous over time.


These are often detected by a dentist at a routine dental examination.
Several types of malignant cancers occur in the mouth and throat.


Squamous cell carcinoma is by far the most common type, accounting for more than 90% of all cancers. These cancers start in the squamous cells, which form the surface of much of the lining of the mouth and pharynx. They can invade deeper layers below the squamous layer.


Other less common cancers of the mouth and throat include minor salivary gland tumors and lymphoma.


Cancers of the mouth and throat do not always metastasize, but those that do usually spread first to the lymph nodes of the neck. From there, they may spread to more distant parts of the body.

Your doctor should be able to tell from an exam and biopsy
good luck - could be anything though.
you want to make sure it is not foot/hand/mouth disease too.

Answer 3

Oral squamous cellular carcinoma impacts approximately 30,000 individuals each and each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. ninety p.c. are human beings who smoke. Alcohol is likewise a threat ingredient. Early, curable lesions are not often symptomatic; for this reason, combating deadly disease demands early detection by employing screening. therapy is with surgical operation, radiation, or the two. the final 5-3 hundred and sixty 5 days survival value is fifty two%. indicators of Oral maximum cancers: dermis lesion, lump, or ulcer: * on the tongue, lip, or different mouth section * often small * maximum oftentimes dwindled colored, could be darkish or discolored * could be a deep, no longer basic edged crack interior the tissue * often painless initially * could strengthen a burning sensation or soreness whilst the tumor is stepped forward added indicators which may be linked with this disease: * Tongue issues * Swallowing concern * Mouth sores * atypical flavor seek for advice from an ENT expert.

Answer 4

my husband has squamous cell carcinoma which is oral cancer that had spread to the togue.floor of the mouth and to the jaw bone as well as the lympodes in the neck. they removed all of this which is called a radical neck dissection. they after 4 months of healing we had six and half weeks of radiation which after all was done he was burnt up then after 5 months the cancer came back and we areo on chemo.its a long hard road for someone that has never had someone with cancer the feedng tube and the trach are the hard things to deal wit h all i can tell you is go to an oral surgen if he thinks its cancer he will tell you and send you to a doctor that can help

Answer 5

my sister has mouth cancer shes 47 she had simula to what you say ,but on the back of her tonge it was there for about a month when she asked her dentist about it(the dentist sent her straight up to the hospital where she had a biopsy,turned out it was cancer shes had 6 weeks of radiotheraphy and she might have to have surgery soon (she was and still is a heavy smoker and drinker)if i were you go to your dentist now good luck

Answer 6

I would go see a doctor about that before it gets worse.

Answer 7

Go to your doctor, or your dentist, they will be able to tell.

Answer 8

What is Mouth Cancer?
The mouth is an amazing machine for speech and eating, it actually starts the process of digestion. Normally good mouth hygiene ensures healthy teeth, and a lifetime of trouble free chewing (the muscles of the jaw are the strongest of the body). Occasionally people develop a cancer in the mouth.

From a cancer doctor perspective, the mouth is anything forward of the last molar, up to the lips. This includes the part of the tongue we see in the mirror, the hard palate, and the inside of the cheeks. Anything behind the last molar is called "oropharynx" and is a different area which includes the tonsils and base of tongue.

Cancer of the mouth, or "oral cavity", includes that extending back as far as behind the last molar ("wisdom tooth"). This would include the area behind the lips, gums, inside of the cheeks, palate, and front 2/3 of the tongue. The tonsils and back of the tongue are further back, and are located in the "oropharynx". Thus, cancers of areas behind the last molar are not considered "mouth cancer". Also, cancers of our 3 major salivary glands (parotid, submaxillary, sublingual) are considered separately, as well as those of the jaw bones and muscles. Therefore, it is important to identify the area the cancer arose from, even if it subsequently spread to other areas. It is this area it originally arose from which determines what type of cancer it is.

Cells in the mouth are subjected to lots of injury from heat and abrasion, and thus must divide frequently to replace those lost due to injury and old age. Normally, cells divide quickly as we develop in the womb and through infancy, and then the rate slows down considerably, just to replace cells that die. The division of cells in the mouth and elsewhere is under very tight control, regulated by the genes within the cells. When this control is lost, the cells may start to divide in a haphazard, uncontrolled manner, and grow to form a swelling of abnormal cells, called a "tumor". A "benign" tumor only grows within it's local area.

Each year there are about 22,000 new cases of mouth cancer leading to 4,800 deaths annually from this disease. Men are affected twice as often as women. Overall, mouth cancer represents about 3% of all new cancers each year, and it is more common in blacks than whites, and in those of "lower socioeconomic status" (poor people). The average patient is 60 years old.

What Causes, or Increases Risk for Mouth Cancer?
Like any cancer, the exact reason why one person gets mouth cancer and another does not remains unknown. However, several "risk factors" have been shown to be much more likely to be present in mouth cancer patients. These include:

1) Tobacco Usage-- This is the single strongest risk factor for developing cancers of the head and neck, and especially mouth cancer. Any form of tobacco taken through the mouth, whether smoked or chewed, increases the risk over time. Even children who use chewing tobacco (often to emulate famous baseball players) have gotten mouth cancer. The more tobacco that is used, for a longer period of time, the higher the chance to get mouth cancer. Likewise, when use is stopped, the risk declines almost to normal over a 5 to 10 year period.
2) Alcohol Usage-- Is the next strongest risk factor after tobacco. Occasional wine or beer may raise risk very slightly, if at all, but frequent use of strong drinks like whiskey will increase cancer risk to the mouth, throat, esophagus (food pipe), stomach and pancreas. Furthermore, combining alcohol with tobacco will have a "super additive" effect to greatly increase cancer risk for all of these areas. This means that the risk is much more than twice as high as for using either tobacco or alcohol alone. Like tobacco, people who stop frequent drinking will gradually lower their cancer risk to nearly that of non-drinkers.
3) Poor Mouth Hygiene-- The more unclean the mouth is, the more is is subject to constant irritation from grime. Each teaspoon of saliva contains about 1 billion bacteria, which are making waste products which cling to teeth ("plaque"). This allows gum disease (pyorrhea) to develop, with subsequent tooth loss. Although plaque itself is not show to cause cancer, it helps other chemicals (like in smoke) to stick in the mouth, irritate it, and stimulate the cells to divide. The more cells divide, the more chance one of them will become cancerous. That is why the common thread of many risk factors is irritation, leading to lots of cell division.
4) Ill-Fitting Dentures irritate the gum lining ("gingiva") and trap debris. This can lead to mouth cancers over time.
5) Betel-Nut Chewing in Indian populations is strongly associated with tooth loss and mouth cancer, again the common factor is prolonged irritation.
6) Infections such as syphilis and some viruses can lead to cancer over time, these cause mouth sores which heal poorly. The constant attempt to heal leads to chronic cell division and thus more chance for cancer. Viruses can also get into the mouth cells themselves and change the genes in them to form a cancer cell. This elaborate process is called "oncogene activation".
7) Lowered Immunity such as from AIDS or transplant anti-rejection drugs will increase the risk for many cancers, including those of the "aero-digestive tract" (i.e. the area from the nose and mouth to the lungs and stomach). This will be especially important in combination with the other risk factors noted above.
8) History of Cancer of the aero-digestive tract can mean as much as 5% chance of a separate simultaneous cancer, and a 25% chance of developing another cancer in this area over time (especially if risks like smoking are continued).

Answer 9

yea ok mmhmm cool yea me2

Answer 10

try seeing a Dr or dentist....they can tell you.