What is Mouth Cancer?

Cancer can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, throat, salivary glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus, and other sites located in the head and neck area. These mouth cancers have a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or skin melanoma.

What is Cancer?

Cancer cells are very similar to cells of the organism from which they originated and have similar (but not identical) DNA and RNA. This is the reason why they are not very often detected by the immune system, in particular if it is weakened. Cancer cells usually have an increased ability to divide rapidly and their number of divisions is not limited by telomeres on DNA (a counter system to limit number of divisions to 40-60). This can lead to the formation of large masses of tissue and in turn may lead to disruption of bodily functions due to destruction of organs or vital structures.

Dry Mouth Signs

Most cancers of the mouth can be cured if caught early. By doing regular oral screening you can bring any changes in your mouth to the attention of your dentist at the earliest possible stage.
Try this your self: This 'at-home' oral screening should take only 3-5 minutes, once a month.Look for the following signs or symptoms that may appear in the mouth, on your tongue or on the lips:
-White or velvety Red patches that will not rub off.
-Sores or swelling that last longer than 2-3 weeks.
-Repeated bleeding with no apparent cause.
-Numbness or pain in any area.
-Difficulty in Chewing, swallowing, or moving your tongue or jaw.
-A mouth sore that bleeds easily or fails to heal.

Types of Moth Cancer

Ninety percent of mouth and tongue cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. The remaining ten percent of mouth or tongue cancers are caused by lymphomas, adenocarcinomas, and other, less common, forms of cancer.Although cancer of the larynx and salivary gland cancer affect the oral cavity, they are considered diseases separate from mouth cancer.