Mouth cancer includes tongue cancer, lip cancer, cancers of the oral cavity and the oropharynx. Mouth cancer makes up two to four percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States with 30,000 new cases of mouth and tongue cancer diagnosed annually.
Mouth Cancer Survival Rates and Prognosis
Mouth, tongue, and oropharynx cancers generally have a poor prognosis. Approximately 8,000 Americans die every year... Read more >
Certain factors increase the chance of developing oral or tongue cancer. Most cases of tongue or oral cancer occur over age forty, with the highest incidence after sixty. Men are twice as likely as women to develop tongue cancer, and African-American men are at greater risk than Caucasians.
Smoking Cigarettes and Pipe Tobacco
Smoking is the single greatest risk factor for tongue and oral cancer. Smokers are... Read more >
Tongue and mouth cancers are often advanced at the time of diagnosis. In part, this is because both mouth cancer symptoms and tongue cancer symptoms are difficult to detect in their early stages. Often no pain is felt and very few visual symptoms are apparent until the cancer is well advanced. In some cases, swollen lymph nodes in the neck are the first sign of mouth or tongue cancer.
Tongue and mouth... Read more >
Early mouth cancer and tongue cancer diagnosis improves both prognosis and survival rates. Mouth cancer diagnosis requires examinations by a medical doctor or dentist, whose expertise in mouth diseases extends beyond teeth and gum care. In any case, diagnosis of oral cavity cancers usually begins with the health professional taking a detailed dental history.
Physical Examination of the Oral Cavity
The doctor or... Read more >
Treating Tongue Cancer and Other Oral Cancers
Treatments for tongue cancer and oral cancer vary depending on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are all used to treat mouth cancers.
Staging Mouth and Tongue Cancers
Mouth and tongue cancers are staged according to the TNM system, which measures tumor size (T), lymph node involvement (N), and metastasis... Read more >
A diagnosis of mouth cancer can be frightening. The important thing is to be an involved patient in order to help to get the best possible care. Your first step should be to get a second opinion. If you are uncomfortable with this, remember that doctors are not offended by it, and often welcome input from their colleagues. Most insurance plans will cover a second opinion.
Before you begin any therapy or... Read more >
Mouth cancer, otherwise known as oral cancer, is a type of cancer that begins in any part of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Many oral cancers begin in the flat cells, or squamous cells that cover the inner mouth, tongue and lips.
When cancer metastasizes or spreads, it travels through the lymphatic system and is carried along by the lymph, a clear watery fluid. This causes the mouth cancer to spread to... Read more >
Preventing mouth cancer and practicing good oral hygiene requires a team effort. You are responsible for a daily routine, while your dentist and hygienist inspect and clean during regularly scheduled exams.
While you may experience sensitivities that lead to cavities, a practitioner generally can determine how to proceed with disease, whether by using a watch and wait approach or recommending additional... Read more >