Cancer of any form has the ability to be fatal, and oral cancer is no exception. Oral cancer is the uncontrollable growth of cells along with soreness in the mouth that just doesn’t go away. The various regions where cancer usually occurs, in this case, include the lips, tongue, mouth floor, sinuses, and throat. Therefore, cancer that occurs inside the mouth is termed as oral cancer.

Similar to any other cancer, oral cancer comes with various symptoms; however, it needs to be diagnosed and treated properly in the early stages, lest it will be difficult to cure cancer completely.

Causes of Oral Cancer
The most common factors that cause oral cancer are the prolonged intake of tobacco (smoking and/or other forms) and alcohol. Other factors that are great contributors to this fatal disease are excessive sun exposure, heredity, and the human papillomavirus.

Additionally, there are certain secondary reasons that can give rise to cancer, and they are cirrhosis of the liver, jagged teeth, syphilis, not taking proper care of the teeth and gums, etc. Cancer occurs when the cells in your lips undergo mutation in the DNA. As a result, the cancerous cells continue to grow and the healthy cells die out.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer
The symptoms of oral cancer can be regular that one usually experiences if he or she misses out on their regular care of the teeth and gums. However, there are certain other symptoms that gradually show up, and they are as follows:

• Since the mouth is the affected region, one can expect swelling or lumps along with rough spots and crusts on their lips. These may also be visible in other regions inside the mouth.
• Certain white- and red-colored velvety and speckled patches can be seen in the mouth.
• They may also experience an intense pain in and other regions surrounding their tongue.
• Since the whole mouth encounters soreness, there are chances that an individual will have a problem in swallowing or chewing.
• Certainly, the teeth will become loose and there will be pain and stiffness in the jaws.
• The most unexpected change you may undergo due to this cancer is the change in your voice. It becomes hoarse along with causing pain in your neck region and also the ears.

Having these symptoms is certainly not good for one’s health. Thus, it becomes necessary that a person consults a doctor at the earliest for appropriate treatment.

Treatment of Oral Cancer
The treatment for oral cancer is highly dependent on the region where it has originated. It also depends on the general health of the patient and his or her preferences. Generally, there are four types of treatments under this, and are as follows:

• Radiation
  Generally, patients who are in their early stage of cancer are treated with radiation therapy for their tongue. High energy X-rays are used to damage the affected DNA of the cells inside the tumor. As a result, their reproductive nature is lost and cancer fails to spread.
• Chemotherapy
  In case the cancer is suspected of recurring, then chemotherapy is used. In this, powerful medicines have used that damage the DNA of the cells and work in the same way as radiation therapy.
• Surgery
  In some cases, one may undergo surgical removal of the tumor too. For smaller tumors, minor surgery is done, and for the major ones, a part of the affected tongue may also be removed.
• Targeted Therapy
  Medications comprising monoclonal antibodies like Cetuximab are used in targeted therapy; they change the course of growth of the cancer cells.