13 Silent Signs of Oral Cancer You Shouldn’t Ignore
About 1 Lakh Indian are diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer every year. If you're in a high-risk group, be sure to look out for these symptoms.
Mouth sores
Most of the time, a mouth sore will be something benign like a canker sore or an abscess caused by a virus. Those generally get better within ten days, though, so a sore that sticks around for two weeks or more could be a sign to worry, The sore’s texture can also give you a clue as to whether it could be oral cancer. “Most abscess ulcers are quite thin and soft, whereas tumors are thicker and hard,” Plus, ulcers and canker sores rarely bleed, but tumors bleed frequently.
Bad breath
As an oral cancer tumor outgrows its blood supply and forms an ulcer, bacteria could infect the sore, Those bacteria leave a foul smell that, unlike your typical morning breath, won’t go away when you brush your teeth. Plus, pain in the mouth might make it difficult to swallow. “You build up bacteria in the mouth that typically gets flushed out with the swallowing,” “The bacteria that stay there are producing gasses that produce bad breath.” Even if something less scary like tonsillitis or 12 causes of bad breath are behind the stench, there’s no harm in checking in with your doctor if the bad breath sticks around for more than two and a half weeks.
Red or white patches
A red or white patch that crops up on your gums, tongue, or other areas in your mouth could be a signal that you don’t have cancer yet, but a tumor could develop.Seek medical attention if it lasts longer than two weeks, especially if you notice a firm sore in the surrounding area.
Ear pain
Ear pain that only affects one side of your head might have nothing to do with the ears themselves. The nerves that give feeling to your tongue, back of your mouth, and voice box are also linked with your ear. “You’re getting pain there because the pain refers back,”. Ear infections are already uncommon for adults, and they tend to affect both sides. If you have persistent pain in just one ear, see a doctor. Even if it’s something innocent like swimmer’s ear, your doctor can provide treatment.
Tongue pain
Pain from a lesion or growth on your tongue could be particularly excruciating. “The tongue is exquisitely sensitive,” . “The tongue is like your fingertips in terms of sensitivity.”
Weight loss (when you weren’t trying)
That tongue pain—or other mouth pain from oral cancer—make chewing and swallowing painful. You might find yourself naturally eating less to avoid the pain, and lose weight in reaction. Unexplained weight loss could also be thanks to a tumor that has spread to the liver or other areas. As the cancer advances and starts using up more of your calories, you’ll find pounds dropping off even without changing your eating habits.
Numbness in the mouth
If an oral cancer tumor gets big enough to injure a nerve in your mouth, you could notice numbness in an isolated area of your mouth.The numbness won’t come out of nowhere, though. You’ll probably have felt pain from the tumor itself for months before it spreads to that point.
Loose teeth
A tumor on the gums can affect the area where your teeth are anchored, causing one or two teeth nearby to loosen.Most tooth problems have to do with the state of your teeth themselves rather than cancer. If tissue remains after your dentist pulls out a loose tooth, he or she might give a biopsy to make sure it isn’t malignant.
Tobacco use
Both cigarettes and chewing tobacco raise your risk of oral cancer. Up to 80 percent of people with oral cancer use tobacco, and smokers have a ten times higher risk of oral cancer than nonsmokers, according to the NYU Oral Cancer Center. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can cause cancer anywhere in the mouth, while chewing tobacco and snuff are linked with cheek, gum, and lip cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. Pairing tobacco with heavy drinking compounds the risk even more.
Hoarseness
Yes, smokers are more likely to have oral cancer, but this isn’t the typical raspy voice you’d expect from a chain smoker, which develops gradually over the years. If you suddenly get hoarse for two weeks or more, it could be a sign that oral cancer is affecting your voice.
Trouble articulating words
Oral cancer affecting the tongue could make talking painful or could make it harder to move your tongue. When either of those happen, you might notice you have trouble enunciating words that you’ve never had trouble with before.
Jaw pain
Oral cancer can make your jaw hurt when you open your mouth. It might look like lockjaw, but the pain will get worse the more you open your mouth.
Lump in neck
“A lump in the neck in someone over 40 is cancer until proven otherwise,” When oral cancer spreads, the lymph nodes are typically the next place to be affected, though you will likely notice symptoms in your mouth before a lump in the neck. The cancer will typically stop there before spreading further, but alert your doctor if the lump doesn’t go away after two weeks.
