Mouth Cancer Surgery
Mouth cancer is a common type of cancer in the United Kingdom but it does seem to be more common in Asian countries. The incidence of this type of cancer is around 4% in Britain. Mouth cancer surgery is usually the first choice treatment for this type of cancer. In this article, the various aspects of this surgery are outlined in simple language for the reader for creating awareness about the disease and its treatment through surgery and other means.
Mouth Cancer Surgery-Causes and Symptoms
Like other types of cancers, the causes of mouth cancer are not yet clearly known. However, based on some research studies and statistical evidence, it has been established that a number of risk factors were present in the cases of existing patients of mouth cancer. These risk factors relate to chewing betel, paan or Areca, use of tobacco and alcohol, some viral infections etc.
The common symptoms of mouth cancer include skin lesions, lumps or ulcers in the mouth. The tumour or ulcer can be on the tongue, lips or any other place in the mouth. If any of the above conditions persist for longer than 14 days, it becomes a matter of concern requiring examination by a dentist or doctor.
It should be pointed out that in case of oral or mouth cancer, the dental surgeons are equally competent to examine and diagnose any suspected malignancy of the mouth, which in any case has to be confirmed by a pathologist. At the early stages of the disease, white patches may also form in the mouth, which may later change to red. The disease may also be painless at the start but the condition aggravates rather rapidly causing pain later on. Difficulty may also be experienced in swallowing, chewing and speaking.
Mouth Cancer Surgery-Diagnosis
After a clinical examination by the dentist or the physician and the indicative results of some preliminary clinical tests, the patient is referred to the oncologist. He gets some further tests conducted including blood, tissue samples for biopsy and other diagnostic procedures. If the results are found to be positive, immediate mouth cancer surgery is advised for the patient because this type of cancer grows and spreads very rapidly.
It must be borne in mind that mouth cancer could either be primary or secondary. Primary oral cancer originates in the mouth while the secondary type originates somewhere else in the human body and spreads to the mouth by metastasis. At the diagnostic stage, the distinction between the two types has to be made in order to carry out proper treatment.
Mouth Cancer Surgery-Surgery
In the case of mouth cancer, surgery is generally the preferred option. Mouth cancer surgery is performed by an oral oncologist or surgeon but a multidisciplinary team is involved in the overall review of the patient’s case comprising an oncologist, surgeon, radiation therapist, chemotherapist etc. The duration of hospital stay can vary a lot depending on the magnitude of the problem but is usually 2-3 days on the average. The total cost of mouth cancer surgery including diagnostic tests, radiation, chemotherapy etc. can vary greatly from case to case but as an indicative cost, the usual range may be £20,000-50,000 if not performed on the NHS.
The overall survival ratio of the mouth cancer patients is 50% but goes up to 90% if treatment is started at stage 1 of the disease.
Mouth Cancer Surgery-Post-operative Rehabilitation
In case of mouth cancer surgeries, there is often disfigurement of the face caused by surgery together with some speech impediment, which requires help by a speech therapist or a psychologist. This aspect should also be kept in mind while arrangements are made for the patient to undergo mouth cancer surgery.