What You Should Know About Oral Cancer Screening Oregon

By Karina Frost


Cancer of the mouth is a very common and yet very serious disease. There are several causes of it, and some people are more at risk than others, for instance, those who are smokers. To protect yourself from this disease, it may be a good idea to check into getting oral cancer screening oregon.

This disease is actually a problem around the world. In many Asian countries, chewing betel or paan is considered to be a risk factor for the disease. In India, this disease accounts for forty percent of all reported cancers. This is significant compared to just four percent of reported cases in the UK.

The disease often manifests as a non-healing sore or ulcer. This basically means an ulcer that is showing no signs of healing after about two weeks. In the US, this disease accounts for nearly eight percent of all malignant cancers. Men tend to be affected twice as often as women do, especially men that are older than sixty.

If you notice a skin lesion, ulcer or lump that does not heal in two weeks, this could be a sign of the disease. Some of the symptoms to look for is a lump on the tongue, the lip, or some other area of the mouth. It is usually small and pale colored, but it can also show as a dark or discolored bump or sore. Initially, the bump may be painless, but this may not always be the case.

In certain Eastern countries, submucous fibrosis of the mouth is a common disease. It is often manifested by a limited capacity for opening the mouth, accompanied by a burning sensation when eating spicy foods. It is important to note, that this lesion tends to be a progressive one, and the opening of the mouth can become increasingly limited over time. This is serious because, as time goes on, trying to eat normally becomes very hard for the patient.

Smoking and using tobacco are associated with approximately seventy-five percent of all cases of the disease. This is because smoking causes the mucous membranes in your mouth to become irritated by the heat caused by cigarettes, pipes and cigars. Tobacco has more than sixty carcinogens. The combustion of these carcinogens by smoking and the by-products it creates is the main method of disease contraction. Also, using chewing tobacco and snuff can cause irritation as well when the tobacco or snuff comes in contact with the mucous membranes in your mouth.

When DNA mutates, oncogenes will become activated. There are certain risk factors that can make a person predisposed developing to oral cancer. You should speak to your doctor about whether you have any of these risk factors. The International Cancer Genome Consortium devotes its time and resources to studying this type of disease. It does this by mapping the complete genome of the disease.

Surgical removal of the mouth tumor is often recommended if it is small enough. This may produce satisfactory results. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy is also used along with surgery, particularly if the tumor is considered to be inoperable.




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