Can patients with oral cancer be cured?

Oral cancer includes cancers of the: lips, tongue, and inner lining of the cheeks. There are also gums, oral sieve, hard and soft palate. Each type of cancer has its own characteristics. However, they still have one thing in common: the ability to reproduce immortality is not under control. Oral cancer, too, is also a dangerous disease. They destroy our health extremely quickly. So can oral cancer be cured? Let's see the doctor's answer.

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Signs of oral cancer

Whether or not oral cancer is curable depends on the stage at which you find it and treat it. Early detection, high chance of treatment, high survival rate. While if detected late, the ability to treat is very difficult. For early detection, you need to know the typical signs of oral cancer. Typical signs of oral cancer include:

  • The skin in the mouth is thick, swollen, lumpy, or bumpy. Rough spots or scales or sores on the lips, gums, and other areas are also signs of oral cancer.
  • Fine, red, or mottled (white to red) patches in the oral cavity.
  • Bleeding in the mouth of unknown cause.
  • Unexplained numbness, loss of sensation in the mouth.
  • Unexplained pain anywhere in the oral cavity.
  • Difficulty chewing, difficult swallowing.
  • Hoarseness, chronic sore throat or normal voice change.
  • Ear hurt.
  • Loose teeth, easily broken.
  • Rapid weight loss, dizziness, frequent fatigue.

It is important that you see your dentist or doctor for a closer examination. Any of these persistent symptoms that persist for more than 2 weeks could indicate oral cancer. Early screening to detect early stage disease. That will help improve your survival rate.

Can patients with oral cancer be cured?

Oral cancer pictures

Diagnosing oral cancer

Your doctor or dentist will conduct a general examination of your health. They will thoroughly examine the palate, floor of the mouth, the back of the throat, the tongue, the inside of the cheeks, and the lymph nodes in the neck. If your doctor finds any unusual lumps or signs of oral cancer such as a slow-healing ulcer, he or she will perform a brush biopsy or tissue biopsy. Don't worry because a brush biopsy is a painless test. They help collect cells from the tumor by brushing them onto a slide.

In addition, your doctor may perform a number of other tests to confirm whether you have oral cancer and, if so, to assess the severity of the tumor, such as:

  • X-rays to check if cancer has spread to the jaw, chest, or lungs.
  • A CT scan is used to detect any tumors in the mouth, throat, neck, lungs, or elsewhere in the body.
  • An MRI scan to give a more accurate picture of the head and neck. Also determine the extent or stage of the cancer.
  • Endoscopy to examine the nose, sinuses, trachea, or bronchi.
  • PET scan to determine if cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other organs.

Regular dental check-ups will help you detect abnormalities early. Whether oral cancer is curable depends a lot on that. Therefore, you should always visit your dentist once every 6 months.

Can oral cancer be cured?

Oral cancer is treated like many other cancers. Your doctor will combine surgery to remove the growing tumor. They then give radiation and/or chemotherapy to destroy any remaining cells. Can oral cancer be cured ? Of course oral cancer is curable. However, there are still cases of oral cancer that comes back. The possible treatments are:

  • Surgery: Early treatment usually includes surgical removal of the tumor and lymph node dissection. Alternatively, other tissues around the mouth and neck around the tumor may be cut and brought out.
  • Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is an option used to treat oral cancer. Treatment for advanced stages will often include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a treatment with drugs to kill cancer cells. The drug is used orally or intravenously.
  • Targeted therapy: This therapy can be effective in the early and late stages of a tumor. Targeted therapies bind to specific proteins on cancer cells and stop their growth.
  • Nutrition: Nutrition is a very important part of your oral cancer treatment. People with oral cancer are easily exhausted because they cannot eat.

Whether oral cancer is curable depends on many factors. Perhaps the most important factor is still detecting the disease at an early stage.

Can patients with oral cancer be cured?

Can oral cancer be cured?

Oral cancer prevention

Oral cancer is dangerous, a disease no one wants to have. So in order to not have to wonder if oral cancer is curable in the future, you need to take measures to prevent oral cancer. Some simple oral cancer prevention measures include:

  • Do not smoke or use any tobacco products.
  • Limit alcohol and beer.
  • A balanced diet, lots of blue teeth, less fried foods, cold foods.
  • Limit exposure to direct sunlight. Use sunscreen before going out in the sun. At the same time, use mechanical measures such as masks and face towels to cover when going out in the sun.
  • Self-exam at least once a month: Self-examine your tongue, lips, palate, floor of mouth, inside of cheeks. If you find any abnormalities, contact your doctor for further examination.
  • See your doctor on a regular basis: Although you can have regular checkups, there are sores or discolored areas that are difficult to recognize on their own. That is only realized by highly qualified doctors.

Thus, oral cancer is curable or not depends very much on the stage of detection. The earlier it is detected, the better the chance of successful treatment. Periodic health check-ups, paying more attention to your own health will help you detect abnormalities in your body early.