Oral cancer Treatment: Symptoms, Classification, Diagnosis & Recovery

Early diagnosis of oral cancer is one of the keys to improved rates of survival. It is better to visit a dentist periodically so that as a part of your routine dental exam, your dentist can conduct an oral cancer screening exam if he or she sees any lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, head, face, and oral cavity.

The following are some of the common tests used for oral cancer diagnosis:

• Cancer screening: Screening includes a series of tests to check for early signs of cancer. But it must be effective, accurate, and should not give false positive results in people who do not have cancer.
• Physical examination: A physical examination of your lips and mouth to look for abnormalities and areas of irritation, such as sores and white patches by the specialist is a part of an oral cancer diagnosis.
• Oral brush biopsy: If your doctor or dentist finds a suspicious area in your mouth, they may remove a sample of cells from the suspected location and send it for laboratory testing. This procedure is known as a biopsy.

At this stage, you may want to ask several questions from your doctor about the future course of action. Do not stop yourself from clearing your doubts from the surgeon and prepare your mind accordingly. You may want to know more about the impact of surgery on your quality of life and how soon you are expected to recover from the surgery.

You must make several lifestyle-related chances prior to treatment to improve your chances of successful recovery. Additionally, stop taking specific medicines or drugs prior to the treatment or as advised by the doctor.

Oral cancer treatment is similar to that for other types of cancers. You may have to go for just one type of treatment or a combination of different cancer treatment options. Your doctor will suggest you the most suitable treatment depending on the location of cancer, its stage, and your overall health status.

Some of the common treatment options for oral cancer include:

• Surgery: It is one of the primary treatment options for mouth cancer. Your specialist may cut away the tumor and a margin of the healthy tissue that surrounds it to ensure all of the cancer cells have been removed. In some cases, the patient may have to undergo a neck dissection surgery, if the cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes. Depending on the exact location of cancer in the oral cavity, the following surgeries may be performed:

1. Mandibular resection surgery (partial or full thickness)
2. Maxillectomy (full or partial)
3. Mohs' surgery for lips
4. Glossectomy (partial or total)
5. Laryngectomy

• Radiation therapy: In radiation therapy, a high-energy beam, such as X-rays and protons, are used to kill cancer cells. It comes with some side effects.
• Chemotherapy: It is a drug treatment used to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be given alone or in combination with other cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is best suitable in cases where cancer has spread to other locations as well.
• Alternative medicine: This treatment may help cope with oral cancer and the side effects of cancer treatment, but it cannot be used to treat oral cancer alone.

• A majority of patients who undergo oral cancer treatment are able to recover quickly. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the patients survive after timely treatment and if the cancer is diagnosed in its early stage. You may expect doctors to ask you to visit their clinic regularly even after your treatment. Your progress will be closely monitored and accordingly, the doctor will decide if any follow up procedure is required.
• Recovery after oral cancer treatment depends on what type of procedures you were subjected to. If you’ve had a surgery, you are most likely to have a drip in your arm that feeds you fluids until you are able to eat by yourself. Additionally, you are likely to have a wound drain and a catheter in place to collect and measure urine. If you’ve had a tracheotomy, you will have a breathing tube in your neck.
• Talking after the surgery is often challenging after the treatment for oral cancer. This may sometimes prove frustrating. Therefore, it is important to have someone nearby to take care of things for you and understand what you may need to communicate. It is normal to experience pain for a few days after the surgery. You may be administered painkillers after the surgery through an epidural.
• The stitches are usually removed after 10 days of the surgery. The drain tube is removed three to seven days after the procedure. You will be given a detailed plan by a dietician, which outlines the things you should drink and eat after the removal of the feeding tube. You may be put on a liquid or soft diet for several days initially.