Table of Contents
The Link Between Tobacco and Mouth Cancer: Breaking the Habit
By Raveena M Prakash
Introduction
Tobacco and smoking have long been associated with causing serious health issues. One of the deadliest diseases is mouth cancer due to tobacco. Whether used smoked or chewed, tobacco increases the risk of developing mouth cancer. Mouth and oral cancer is the 16th most common cancer in the world. The use of tobacco and other tobacco products is considered the leading risk factor of mouth cancer. Tobacco has long been associated with serious health issues that often go unnoticed, majorly mouth cancer.
Whether you are someone who smokes or chews tobacco casually or continuously, the use of tobacco seriously increases your risk of developing oral cancers, which often affect the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, and even the throat.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into types of mouth cancer, risk factors, symptoms of mouth cancer and its causes, whether quitting tobacco and smoking will affect a person’s chance of developing cancer, and much more!
How does tobacco cause mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer is the 12th most common cancer in men and the 18th most common cancer in women. Tobacco is the major risk factor for developing mouth cancer and many other cancers. Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff.
Each tobacco product contains substances like poisonous substances, also known as toxins. Additionally, cancer-causing agents, also called carcinogens, and nicotine, an addictive substance that increases the chances of cancer in the mouth.
What is mouth cancer and its symptoms?
Mouth cancer is also known as oral cancer or cancer in the oral cavity. Cancer in the mouth often comes under the category of neck and head cancer. Mouth cancer is a deadly disease where the growth of cells starts in the mouth.
Cancer can happen to any part of the mouth.
These may include:
- Lips
- Gums
- Tongue
- Inner lining of the cheeks
- Roof of the mouth
- Floor of the mouth
This cancer can eventually spread into the cheeks, gums, roof of the mouth, tonsils, and salivary glands. The cancer in the mouth carries significant health implications for the patient’s body. Understanding the connection of tobacco and smoking leading to cancer is the first step to prevention and avoiding the chance of developing cancer in the mouth.
Symptoms of mouth cancer
Early detection of cancer in the mouth can significantly reduce the chance of cancer spreading into other body parts such as the neck and brain. Detecting cancers in the mouth often increases the chance of successful recovery from mouth cancer.
These symptoms may include:
- A mouth sore or lip sore that won’t heal
- Sore spots and ulcers that do not heal
- A reddish or white patch inside the mouth
- A lump or growth inside the mouth
- Thickening in the cheek
- Mouth pain
- Ear pain
- Loose teeth
- Difficulty in eating or difficulty in swallowing
- Unexplained bleeding and numbness
Causes of mouth cancer
It is not always clear what causes the chances of developing cancer in the mouth. Cancer starts as a growth of cells in the mouth. This often starts in the cells known as squamous cells. These cells are flat, thin lines inside the lips or inside the mouth and often develop a change in the DNA. In cancer cells, the DNA changes give instructions, and changes often tell the cancer cells to grow and multiply quickly.
Mouth or oral cancer can affect anyone in terms of their age and gender. If someone uses tobacco products along with excessive alcohol consumption, this further increases the chance of developing cancer in the mouth.
Other key risk factors that cause cancer in the mouth
There are some other factors apart from tobacco that increase the risk of developing cancer in the mouth.
Here are the other risk factors:
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
- Epstein-Barr virus infection
- A weak immune system
- Excessive sun exposure to lips
- Drinking excessive alcohol
- Family history of cancer
- Chewing tobacco
- Poor oral hygiene and bleeding gums
Mouth cancer treatments
The treatments for this cancer are majorly influenced by the patient’s medical conditions, the type of cancer and its stages, and its location.
Here are some treatments:
Surgery: The mouth cancer surgeries are performed when the severity of cancer and the patient’s medical conditions require the need for a surgical intervention to remove the cancer.
There are types of surgeries that may include:
- Primary tumor surgery: This is a primary mouth cancer surgery performed to remove a tumor or treat the early stages of cheek, mouth or oral cancer. This surgery removes it through an incision made in the throat.
- Glossectomy: In this surgical procedure, used to treat tongue cancer symptoms, ensure there is no chance of recurrence of cancer. In this surgery, a partial or complete removal of the tongue was performed.
- Maxilectomy: In this surgery, a partial or complete section of the hard palate is removed.
- Mandibulectomy: In this surgery the cancer in the jawbone is treated or removed.
- Neck dissection: In this surgical procedure, lymph nodes are removed from the neck.
- Reconstructive surgery: Reconstructive surgery is often performed to fill or beautify the gaps left by surgeries after removing tumors. In this surgery, healthy bones or tissues are taken in the gap.
Chemotherapy: In chemotherapy, drug treatments are used to destroy or kill cancer cells and stop abnormal cell growth in the mouth. Doctors recommend performing chemotherapy alone or combined with other treatments such as surgery and radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy: This treatment is used depending mainly on the patient's medical conditions. In this treatment, intense energy beams are delivered to stop the growth of cancer cells. This treatment is often paired with other treatments.
Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy is often given to the mouth before performing surgery. In this procedure, it stops the uncontrolled genetic mutation without harming the healthy cells.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy for cancer helps to boost the immune system of the cancer patient’s body to find and destroy cancer cells; it also boosts the immune response, often targeting the proteins involved in the immune system to enhance the immune response.
Why choose the Oncare Center for your mouth cancer treatment?
Oncare is one of the leading destinations for treating different types of cancers in India. We offer high-quality cancer treatment and advanced cancer surgeries with experienced cancer specialist consultation at affordable price ranges.
The cancer surgeries start from an approximate range of 2.5 lakhs to 6.5 lakhs. The cost of surgeries is often influenced by factors like the complexities of cancer, the type of cancer and cancer stage, location, ICU stay, extended treatment, room stay, and flap type recommended by the surgeon.
At Oncare, patients get high-quality treatment at an affordable price. We offer mouth cancer surgeries at a reasonable range that is 30 to 40% less than other cancer hospitals in India.
Mouth cancer surgery cost difference: Oncare vs. other hospitals in India
| Oncare surgeries | Cost of surgeries | Other hospitals surgeries | Cost of surgeries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) Local Flap | 2.5 to 3.75 Lakhs | Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) Local Flap | 5 to 7 Lakhs |
| Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) with Free Flap | 4.5 to 5.5 Lakhs | Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) with Free Flap | 6.5 to 8.5 Lakhs |
| Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) Free Fibula | 5.5 to 6.5 Lakhs | Commando Surgery (Neck dissection+proceeds) Free Fibula | 7 to 8 Lakhs |
Prevention
Just like the popular saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure,’ cancer in the mouth is a deadly condition that can be easily prevented through early detection and some lifestyle modifications, such as avoiding unhealthy habits and taking certain preventive measures.
These may include
- HPV Vaccination: Getting yourself vaccinated against HPV helps to prevent mouth cancer along with oropharyngeal cancers as well.
- Protect your lips from sun and UV exposure: Use SPF-filled lip balm when exposing your lips to the sun.
- Avoid tobacco products and smoking: Quitting smoking and tobacco products will significantly reduce your chance of developing cancer in your mouth.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption: Limiting alcohol consumption also reduces the risk of developing many cancers.
- Early detection is crucial: Regular dental checkups and screening of your oral issues might help you to diagnose any signs and symptoms of mouth cancer. This often leads to proper diagnosis and improves the chances of successful recovery.
- Practice oral hygiene and care: Practice brushing two times a day, follow with flossing your teeth regularly, and visit the dentist for a routine checkup.
Breaking the Habit: Why It’s Never Too Late
Quitting the use of tobacco and its products will significantly lower your risk of developing cancer. Even if you have been smoking for years or using tobacco products for a long period of time, your body begins to heal immediately after quitting. Within years, the risk of oral cancer dramatically decreases, and the risk approaches the same as a non-tobacco user.
Some studies suggest that quitting tobacco and smoking lowers the risk of 12 types of cancer. Within 5 to 10 years of quitting smoking, the chance of mouth or oral cancer and throat cancer reduces by 50%. There are some benefits of quitting tobacco, as this improves the blood circulation, and this includes a drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
Conclusion
Tobacco contains 70 types of chemicals known as carcinogens, also known as cancer-causing agents. Both smoking and smokeless tobacco products are equally dangerous and linked to developing cancer, majorly mouth or oral cancer. Smoking introduces these carcinogens directly into the mouth and lungs and damages the tissues and eventually leads to weakening the immune system.
Choosing the right cancer hospital for your cancer treatment can be significant and life-changing. However, Oncare ensures transparency with our experienced cancer specialists, affordable packages, and personalized consultation, providing changes for the better.
If you or any loved ones of yours are facing any symptoms of oral cancer, visit Oncare Cancer Center’s official website and book an appointment today.
Get an estimated cost of your treatment today. Don’t settle for less when you deserve the best treatment. Trust OnCare, where expertise meets empathy and affordability.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some of the common symptoms of mouth cancer:
- A lump in the mouth, jaw, or neck
- Mouth sores or ulcers in the mouth or lips that won’t heal
- White or red patches inside the mouth
- Loose teeth
- Gum bleeding and numbness in the mouth
- Trouble eating or swallowing
- Unexplained weight loss
These are some of the risk factors of developing mouth cancer:
- Excessive tobacco usages
- Avoid alcohol consumption
- HPV Infection
- Direct exposure to the lips
- Poor oral hygiene and health
- Age and gender
- Avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.
- Getting HPV vaccination
- Protecting your lips from sun exposure
- Early detection of cancer
- Visiting the dentist once a month.
Once the mouth cancer is diagnosed on time, start some preventive measures such as treatments. With this, you can ensure a successful recovery from mouth cancer before it develops into more advanced stages of mouth cancer.
