Did you know that April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month? It is the 6th most common form of cancer. Close to 48,250 American are diagnosed each year with oral or pharyngeal cancer and more than 9,000 of those patients die each year. That means that there is about 1 death every hour of every day, each year.

If oral cancer is detected early then the survival rate increases to 80-90%. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation (www.oralcancerfoundation.org) the 5-year survival rate of those who are diagnosed is approximately 57%. You’ve probably heard of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thyroid cancer, and cervical cancer. The death rate for oral cancer is higher than any of those types of cancer!

Here is a breakdown of which part of the mouth is involved in oral cancer according to Dentistry iQ: 20-25% involve the tongue, 15% the floor of the mouth, 10-15% involve lips, and 10-15% involve the minor salivary glands.

The most common oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma with 90% of oral cancers being this form, which is malignant and typically spreads quickly.

The earlier cancer is detected, the less chance it has to spread. So, what are the stages of cancer?

Stage 1:

  • Lesion is less than 2 cm
  • No lymph nodes involved

Stage 2:

  • Lesion is between 2 & 4 cm
  • No lymph nodes involved

Stage 3:

  • Lesion is 4 or more cm; no lymph node involves
  • Lesion is any size; 1 lymph node involved on the same side

Stage 4:

  • Lesion has metastasized to surrounding tissues; lymph nodes may be involved
  • Lesion has metastasized to more lymph nodes to either 1 side or both sides of neck

Recurrent: Recurrence of cancer after treatment

 

Seeing your dentist could save your life. Because patients may not feel pain or recognize the symptoms as abnormal this makes it difficult to diagnose oral cancer until it is already in the later stages. Routinely visiting your dentist isn’t just for a routine cleaning but a way a dentist could save your life. Human papillomavirus (HPV), which spreads easily, is the fastest growing risk factor for oral cancer is. Anyone over 17 should be checked for oral cancer.

Surprisingly, It is not required for dentists to have an oral cancer screening program. There are screening techniques that can detect abnormalities in tissue to help determine if further testing is necessary – like a biopsy. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), these screenings should be performed on anyone over 17 because of how easily HPV spreads.