Oral cancer is primarily cancer of the mouth affecting majorly tissues of the lips, gums and palate and also the roof of the mouth, in some cases even the tongue. Oral cancer is among the neck and head cancers and affects also in the throat. Oral cancer can affect anyone but is more evident in people of the male gender and who are above the age of 40 years. It is a life threatening infection if not diagnosed and treated early as it may lead to expensive therapies which expose one to very dangerous rays and also the abnormal tissues may have overgrown to levels which are not curable.
The good thing about oral cancer is that it is not contagious as I cannot acquire cancer from another infected person. The main cause of mouth cancer is often unknown and the good news is that the treatment is the same, but there are some factors that predispose someone. Therefore if you note swells in the mouth, sores, rough eroded areas, lumps and ulcers then you should get medical attention as it’s the major symptom of oral cancer.
If you note numbness whereby you lose feeling and you cannot explain why, then you should be worried. At some moments we often realize that there is a sensation of something is caught in the back of your throat and is causing soreness then medical attention is urgently required. At some moments you experience bleeding in the gums but you cannot account for it, then accompanied with loose teeth and ear ache. At some moment cancer patients experience problems with swallowing and when it is chronic even chewing. If the cancer has progressed to the larynx then there is a possibility that the patients voice changes and in some cases loss of voice. The reason as to why it is hard to diagnose this type of cancer is that many people allow it to pass as tonsillitis thereby going for the over the counter drugs. This causes more risks as when the cancer gets to the chronic level where it is noted since the symptoms are more evident as maybe one looses their voice therefore seeking medical attention when it is very late.