Spotting Oral Cancer in Central London

Oral cancer, for all the efforts in finding a solution to it, still haunts a lot of people today in central London and it shows no sign of letting up, in fact the numbers of people being diagnosed are on the rise. A lot of this has been linked with the stress that the city places on people, their diet, poor oral hygiene and bad lifestyle choices- such as smoking and excessive drinking. Still this is a matter of conjecture as some people live the same lifestyle with no problems at all, but there are some obvious ways of spotting the signs of it and caught quickly, it can be treated quickly and so the better the chances of recovering from it, and the biggest plus here is that statistics indicate a greater amount of people are beating the disease. The tell-tale signs are usually recurring problems such as sore throats, lesions, ulcers, poor swallowing and earaches, amongst others. A quick session at the dentists or doctors will reveal any problems and then you will be treated accordingly, depending on how advanced it has become. Once the problem has been rectified, the battle goes on to make sure it doesn’t return and this means changing the way you do everything to give yourself a fighting chance.

Oral cancer includes cancer of any part of the mouth or throat including the lips and tongue. It commonly occurs on the lining of the cheek, palate or gum tissue so it is very often a dentist that will spot the first signs of the disease. Dentists are fully trained to examine for all oral cancer during a routine check up appointment.

The first signs of oral cancer are usually small patches of sore or sensitive skin that don’t heal naturally. These are often pale coloured or white patches known as leukoplakia or darker, redder patches called erythroplakia, which may develop a burning sensation as the problem develops. They will also be very sensitive to hot and cold food and drink.

Some of the main causes for oral cancer are alcohol and tobacco. Strong links exist between alcohol consumption and the development of oral cancer, and smokers are over six times more likely to suffer from oral cancer. But it must be remembered that even people who neither drink nor smoke may still be affected, so it is always worth having any suspicious patches in the mouth examined.

Catching oral cancer early can help to improve the chances of surviving the disease by 80 per cent, so maintaining six-monthly appointments with a London dentist is crucial in the fight against the disease. If you have any sores in the mouth, unexplained bleeding of the gums or have experienced a sudden dramatic weight loss, make an appointment to see a London dentist to check for oral cancer.

Investigators from Hong Kong University published a study in the ‘Journal of Cancer Research’ on the effects of blackberries, papaya, and blueberries, and their effects on possibly reducing the danger of oral cancer development. Lupeol, a triterpene compound, found in these fruits have been shown to inhibit NFkB, a protein that helps with growth of cells. In this study, lupeol was shown to suppress the spread of cancer and reduce tumour size 3 times more rapidly than a platinum-based chemotherapy drug (known as cisplatin). Lupeol also did not cause the weight loss normally seen with chemotherapy. Dr. Carter, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said that it is already known that a diet containing five or more servings of fruits and vegetables may reduce oral cancer risk; however the fact that certain fruits can fight oral cancer in patients that already have it is great news. More research is required on lupeol’s ability to fight oral cancer more effectively than the drugs currently being used. In the U.K., one person dies of oral cancer every 5 hours, and in the U.S. the rate is one person every hour. That is over 8,000 deaths a year from oral cancer.

Oral cancer can occur inside the mouth, on the lips, gums, tongue, throat and salivary glands. The worst thing about this type of cancer is that it is completely asymptomatic at the beginning, mostly painless and therefore, extremely difficult to detect. But, there are some signs that maybe associated with an early onset of oral cancer. It is very essential to get any abnormalities in the mouth, tongue, lips, gums or surrounding areas checked by a dentist as oral cancer treatment has been found to be very effective if the cancer is detected and treated early on. There are many well-established dental practices in London for you to choose from.
Some of the most common signs of oral cancer include continuous pain in the mouth, difficulty in movement of the jaw or the mouth and in chewing or swallowing of food, sores, bumps and ulcerous lesions in the mouth, bleeding from the gums or cheeks, constant soreness in the throat, numbness in any part of the mouth and so on. Do remember that this is not an all-inclusive list and that these can also be symptoms of other dental ailments.
The best way to make sure is to get it evaluated by your dentist in London who may also refer you to an oncologist if he suspects that you might have oral cancer. Together, they will examine your mouth and also look into your medical history to prepare an initial diagnosis and suggest suitable treatment. If the initial treatment plan doesn’t yield results, a biopsy of the affected area needs to be performed. A confirmed malignant biopsy is used to diagnose oral cancer and identify its stage and grade. Additional tests such as X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans may also be required to determine the path of the cancer. Based on these tests, your dentist and doctor will create a treatment plan to suit you needs.