What is mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer is the same as oral cancer. It refers to cancers that affect different areas of the mouth. It includes cancer of the lips, tongue, gums, inner cheeks, roof and floor of the mouth, salivary glands and tonsils. It comes under the category of cancers of the head and neck. Oral cancer is more common in men as compared to women. It has a number of causes ranging from smoking, chewing tobacco, alcohol, and some others.
Smoking and mouth cancer
It was suspected that the two are interlinked and as there is more and more research being done on this, it is becoming that much clearer that there is a clear connection between the two. Cigarettes and their smoke contains about 4000 different types of chemicals, most of them highly toxic. Many of these chemicals are carcinogenic or cancer causing. Arsenic, cadmium, benzene, polonium-210 and formaldehyde as well as tar that stains fingers and teeth are a few such chemicals.
These chemicals are called carcinogens as they destroy the genes and oncogenes in oral tissues that help protect against cancer. This makes these cells and tissues vulnerable to external toxic pollutants. It also makes it easier for these carcinogens to attack tissues and cause damage. This, over an extended period of time, causes sudden uncontrolled multiplication of cells in the mouth which do not die and keep accumulating, leading to cancer in various areas of the oral cavity.
Symptoms of oral cancer
- Chronic soreness of throat
- Lumps in mouth and neck accompanied by bad breath
- Swelling of cheeks, pain and problems with moving the jaw
- Difficulty in movement of tongue, chewing and swallowing
- Dark patches that are white or red in the mouth that appear suddenly and do not disappear
- Pain in teeth and gums and loosening of the teeth
If you are a smoker, it is important that you keep a lookout for these symptoms and get yourself examined if you notice any of these symptoms. If detected in its early stages, there are better chances for treatment and cure. Also, you should try giving up smoking with immediate effect in order to reduce health risks and lead a healthier life.
