Oral Cancer
Oral Cancer Prevention
Oral cancer is sometimes associated with known risk factors for the disease.
Many risk factors can be modified but not all can be avoided.
- Tobacco and alcohol use:
Tobacco use (cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco) is
responsible for most cases of oral cancer. Alcohol, particularly beer and
hard liquor, are associated with an increased risk of developing oral
cancer. The risk of developing oral cancer is higher in people who use both
tobacco and alcohol. Avoiding or stopping the use of tobacco decreases the
risk of oral cancer. It is not known if stopping the use of alcohol
decreases the risk of oral cancer.
- Sun exposure: Exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of lip cancer,
which occurs most often on the lower lip. Avoiding the sun and/or using a
sunscreen or colored lipstick on the lips may decrease the risk of lip
cancer.
- Other factors: Some studies suggest that being infected with the human
papillomavirus (HPV) may increase the risk of oral cancer.
- Chemoprevention: Chemoprevention is the use of drugs, vitamins, or other
agents to prevent or delay the growth of cancer or to keep it from coming
back. Tobacco users who have had oral cancer often develop second cancers in
the oral cavity or nearby areas, including the nose, throat, vocal cords,
esophagus, and windpipe. Studies of chemoprevention in oral cancer are under
way, including chemoprevention of leukoplakia and erythroplakia.
The mouth and throat
This booklet is about cancers that occur in the mouth (oral cavity) and
the part of the throat at the back of the mouth (oropharynx). The oral
cavity and oropharynx have many parts:
- Lips
- Lining of your cheeks
- Salivary glands (glands that make saliva)
- Roof of
your mouth (hard palate)
- Back of your mouth (soft palate and uvula)
- Floor of your mouth (area under the tongue)
- Gums and teeth
- Tongue
- Tonsils
Understanding cancer
Cancer
begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues
make up the organs of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them.
When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells
form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they
should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or
tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign tumors are not
cancer:
- Benign tumors are rarely life-threatening.
- Generally, benign tumors can be removed, and they
usually do not grow back.
- Cells from benign tumors do not invade the tissues around
them. Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
- Malignant tumors are
cancer:
- Malignant tumors are generally more serious than
benign tumors. They may be life-threatening.
- Malignant tumors often can be removed, but
sometimes they grow back.
- Cells from malignant tumors can invade and damage
nearby tissues and organs.
- Cells from malignant tumors can
spread to other parts of the body. The cells spread by breaking away from
the original cancer (primary tumor) and entering the bloodstream or
lymphatic system. They invade other organs, forming new tumors and damaging
these organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Oral cancer
Oral cancer is part of a group of
cancers called head and neck cancers.
Oral cancer can develop in any part of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Most
oral cancers begin in the tongue and in the floor of the mouth. Almost all
oral cancers begin in the flat cells (squamous cells) that cover the
surfaces of the mouth, tongue, and lips. These cancers are called squamous
cell carcinomas.
When oral cancer spreads (metastasizes), it usually travels through
the lymphatic system.
Cancer cells that enter the lymphatic system are
carried along by lymph, a clear, watery fluid. The cancer cells often
appear first in nearby lymph nodes in the neck.
Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the neck,
the lungs, and other parts of the body. When this happens, the new tumor has the
same kind of abnormal cells as the primary tumor. For example, if oral cancer
spreads to the lungs, the cancer cells in the lungs are actually oral cancer
cells. The disease is metastatic oral cancer, not lung
cancer. It is treated as oral cancer, not lung cancer. Doctors sometimes
call the new tumor "distant" or metastatic disease.
Next: Who's at risk for oral cancer? »
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