Dr Sourav Malhotra
*Cancer is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality today. Mouth cancer when diagnosed at an early stage can be treated with preventive measures such as quiting of tobacco habit, smoking bidi etc . According to the statistics, in 2012 the incidence of oral cancer in India is 53842 in males and 23161 in females. Mouth cancer is considered to be a disease which occurs in elderly people.
*Most of the mouth cancer cases occur between the ages of 50 to 70 years, but it could also affect children as early as 10 years. Incidence of oral cancer increases by age. The commonest age is the fifth decade of life. Considering the gender in all the age groups, men are more affected than women. In India, men are two to four times more affected than women due to the changes in the behavioral and lifestyle patterns.
Risk Factors and Prevention
Tobacco use of any kind, including cigarette smoking, puts you at risk. Heavy alcohol use also increases your chances of developing the disease. Smokeless tobacco in the form of betel quid, oral snuff, and betel quid substitutes such as guktha, nass, naswar, khaini, mawa increases the risk of oral precancerous lesions and oral cancer two- to fifteen times more. Risk increases substantially with duration and frequency of tobacco use.
Areca Nut Chewing: (Supari)
Cheap, prepackaged areca nut products, such as pan masala, are of recent concern, especially among youth. The inclusion of tobacco in the betel quid i.e (Pan) adds considerable risk towards mouth cancer.
Alcohol use:
Using tobacco plus alcohol poses a much greater risk than using either substance alone.
Chronic Trauma:
It now seems clear that chronic trauma, from sharp teeth, restorations, or dentures, contributes to oral cancer risk, although this higher risk commonly occurs only in the presence of the other local risk factors.
How to detect if there is initiation of mouth cancer?
All patients with mouth lesions of unknown origin and more than 2-4 weeks duration should immediately be referred to a specialist (Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Radiologist) to get proper diagnosis and treatment planning.
This includes:
*White or red spots anywhere in the oral mucosa
*A mucosal defect or ulceration
*Swelling anywhere in the mouth
*Loosening of one or more teeth for no known reason, not connected with periodontal disease
*Difficulty or pain in swallowing
*Reduced mouth opening
*Reduced movement of the tongue
*Numbness of the tongue, teeth, or lips
Steps can be taken for Prevention of mouth cancer:
Oral cancer can be prevented by action against risk factors, especially tobacco which is the key factor:
*The enforcement of laws on youth access to tobacco and alcohol
*The prohibition of all advertising and promotional activities by the tobacco industry
*The prominent inclusion of strong pictorial warnings in existing written warnings on the labels of tobacco and alcohol products
*Campaigns are needed to raise public awareness about oral cancer and its links with tobacco and alcohol consumption.
*Facilities for accurate staging, including advanced imaging, and experienced multidisciplinary teams can improve long-term survival and quality of life.
(The author is BDS, MDS (Oral medicine and Maxillofacial radiologist)
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