Mouth Cancer Overview

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 >

Risk Factors

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 >

Symptoms

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 >

Diagnosis

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 >

Treatments

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 >

Preventing Mouth Cancer

Professionals estimate that over 1.4 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year. Oral cancer, or mouth cancer, will account for over 34,000 of those new cases. And of those 34,000 patients, more than 7,000 will die.   Researchers at hospitals all over the world are making strides in isolating cancer genes. They are learning what flips the switch on a healthy cell and causes it to become... Read more >

Coping with Chemotherapy

If you have received a mouth cancer diagnosis, you and your doctor or oncologist may have already devised a treatment plan.   The most common treatment plans include one or a combination of the following treatment options: alternative therapy chemotherapy radiation therapy surgery. Chemotherapy is a type of mouth cancer treatment in which you are given medication either orally or... Read more >

Mouth Cancer Support Groups

Despite the fact that many people will contract mouth cancer in their lifetime, many victims will feel alone and helpless after learning that they have this disease.   In many mouth cancer cases, the symptoms can be very unpleasant, even painful. It helps to have a mouth cancer support group at this trying time.   There are several online support groups that a victim can attend that eliminate the... Read more >