JOIN USIs that painful mouth ulcer giving you sleepless nights? Stop ignoring the signs and get it checked immediately. More than 77,000 new cases of lip and oral cavity cancers were detected in India recently. So, let's understand this disease before it claims its next victim.
Symptoms
One frustrating aspect of the disease is that the symptoms are deceptive and evolve slowly. Some of the common symptoms are, a non-healing ulcer that lasts for more than two to three weeks, swelling in the mouth or neck, pain while consuming spicy food, difficulty in opening the mouth and earache.
The most common cause of oral cavity cancer is smoking. Abstaining from smoking reduces the risk in 30% of the patients. There are three major components of tobacco smoke namely: incompletely combusted hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and nicotine. Nicotine is not a carcinogen per se, but it helps a mutated cancer cell survive long. Hydrocarbons and the heavy metals are the carcinogens.
E-cigarettes, which have only nicotine, and nicotine chewing gums are better alternatives and are a step towards quitting. It is not only the person who smokes is at risk, but also those in the vicinity. Indoor smoking is equally dangerous, as it affects all the family members.
Dr Sachin Harave
(The author is radiational oncologist, Narayana Medical Centre)