In recent years, the number of new malignant tumor cases worldwide has been increasing year by year, and the number of deaths due to malignant tumors worldwide is nearly ten million each year. Among all cancer diseases, oral cancer incidence accounts for 1.45% to 5.6% of all malignant tumors in the body. Compared with cancers in other parts of the body, oral cancer is more prone to metastasis, costly to treat and has poor prognosis.
Therefore, the prevention of oral cancer is very important. Starting from early detection, oral cancer can be prevented. Let’s learn more about oral cancer in detail.
What is oral cancer? Oral cancer is a general term for malignant tumors occurring in the oral cavity, and most of them are mucosal mutations. In clinical practice, oral cancer includes gum cancer, tongue cancer, hard and soft palate cancer, jaw cancer, floor of mouth cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, salivary gland cancer, lip cancer, maxillary sinus cancer and cancers of skin mucosa on face and face. Oral cancer is one of the more common malignant tumors of the head and neck.
What are the symptoms of oral cancer?
1. Ulcers in the mouth that do not heal for a long time: Generally, oral ulcers can heal in 2 weeks, but if oral ulcers do not heal in more than 4 weeks, it is necessary to go to hospital for examination and treatment.
2, discoloration: general oral mucosa white spot surface is relatively smooth, but if the surface of the white spot becomes very rough, hard nodules, weeping, protrusion or granuloma, this is a typical lesion.
3.Lumps: If a rapidly increasing swelling appears in the mouth, which does not subside after treatment or has the tendency to ulcerate, do not be paralyzed.
4, loose teeth: the appearance of asymptomatic loose teeth and most of the teeth in the mouth, often is the performance of jaw bone lesions in the oral cavity to open the moist deterioration.
5.Mouth opening restriction: After excluding the jaw joint lesion, patients should consider oral tumor, such as maxillary posterior carcinoma and tongue root carcinoma, whose early manifestation is mouth opening restriction.
6.Bleeding: repeated bleeding in the oral cavity without obvious reasons.
7.Unexplained facial palsy and lower lip numbness: Facial nerve penetrates from the back of the skull and governs facial expression through parotid endings. Cancer in the parotid gland is likely to destroy the facial nerve first and cause the symptom of distorted mouth and eyes.
8.Changes in tongue movement and sensation: The sudden appearance of restricted tongue movement, slurred speech, pain when speaking and swallowing, or loss of perception and numbness of the half side of the tongue should be identified as soon as possible.
How is oral cancer formed?
Most of the oral cancer patients have a long history of smoking and drinking, while those who do not smoke and drink alcohol are rare. American Keller data shows that the incidence rate of oral cancer among smokers who do not drink alcohol or alcohol is 2.43 times and 2.33 times than that of those who neither smoke nor drink alcohol respectively, while the incidence rate of those who have addiction to smoking and alcohol is 15.5 times than that of those who do not smoke or drink alcohol.
HPV infection, which is transmitted through oral sex, is a major factor that cannot be ignored in the surge of oral cancer cases in recent years. Studies have confirmed that 70% of newly discovered oral cancer patients are infected with HPV virus, surpassing tobacco as the leading cancer-causing factor. According to the current trend, the oral cancer caused by HPV virus will exceed cervical cancer by 2020.
3, poor oral hygiene poor oral hygiene habits, for bacteria or mold in the oral breeding, breeding conditions, thus facilitating the formation of nitrosamines and their precursors. Coupled with stomatitis, some cells are in a proliferative state and more sensitive to carcinogens, so all these reasons may promote the occurrence of oral cancer.
4.Long-term stimulation of foreign body root or sharp tooth tip, unsuitable dentures stimulate oral mucosa for a long time, resulting in chronic ulcers and even cancer.
5.Deficiency of vitamin A can cause epithelial thickening and hyperkeratosis of oral mucosa, which is related to the occurrence of oral cancer. It is also considered to be related to insufficient intake of trace elements, such as low zinc content in food. Zinc is an indispensable element for the growth of animal tissues, and zinc deficiency may lead to mucosal epithelial damage, creating favorable conditions for the occurrence of oral cancer. In addition, insufficient intake of total protein and animal protein may be related to oral cancer.
How to prevent oral cancer?
1. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol and chewing betel nut. Betel nut can cause oral cancer, and long-term betel nut chewing can cause submucosal fibrous degeneration, which may be the direct cause of oral cancer. Those who chew betel nut, smoke and drink alcohol at the same time will have a much higher risk of oral cancer.
2.Balanced diet to reduce fat intake and increase vegetables and fruits. Increase the intake of vitamins A, B, E and trace elements selenium. Do not drink or eat overly hot water and food, especially hot pot, to avoid stimulating oral tissues.
3, maintain good oral hygiene Remove the residual roots and crowns, and adjust the sharp tips of the grinding teeth in time to avoid repeated cheek and tongue bites.
4.Patients wearing dentures, find pain and inflammation in the tissues under the dentures, seek medical attention in time.