Are You at Risk for Oral Cancer?
Who gets oral cancer?
We're all at risk. Oral and pharyngeal cancers -- which refer to the mouth and upper throat and fall into the realm of head and neck cancers -- kill nearly one person every hour of every day of the year, or 7,600 people annually, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Brian Hill, 67, of Newport Beach, California, was diagnosed with stage 4 bilateral cervical metastases of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in 1997 at age 49. "It was a horrendous experience. I was wildly healthy, and I never smoked," says Hill, founder and executive director of the Oral Cancer Foundation.
Signs of oral cancer
Look for a lump or swollen lymph nodes on your neck. And examine your mouth for any bumps, white or red patches, changes in sensation, numbness or tingling, changes in bite, unusual bleeding or difficulty swallowing. Other signs include unplanned weight loss or even ear pain, says Dr. Erich Sturgis, a professor in the department of head and neck surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Hill was treated. Consider scheduling an appointment with your dentist or primary care physician to have a comprehensive examination if you also have the following risk factors:
Tobacco use
Smoking is a traditional and obvious risk factor, Sturgis says. "There's no reason anyone should smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes. They just shouldn't be used. They're overwhelmingly cancer-causing," he adds. Smokers are six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop oral cancers. However, smokeless tobacco is no alternative. It can cause cancer in the cheeks, gums and lips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that tobacco use causes nearly 6 million deaths per year. That number is expected to rise to 8 million by 2030.
Alcohol consumption
"If you combine both alcohol and smoking, there's a 30 percent greater risk for developing head and neck cancer than the general population. It also takes about 20 years for that baseline risk to return to normal," says Dr. Deepak Kademani, medical director of oral and maxillofacial surgery and fellowship director of oral, head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery at North Memorial Medical Center in Minneapolis. The amount of alcohol someone needs to consume to develop cancer varies by person, he adds. Binge drinking has also been shown to increase the risk for oral cancer.
Sun exposure
The same dangerous ultraviolet rays that threaten your skin all year can also increase your risk for cancer at the forefront of your mouthpiece: your lips. They're one area of the body often forgotten when applying sunscreen. The Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that the lower lip is 12 times more likely to be affected because it's most exposed to sunlight. Protect yourself by using a lotion or lip balm that contains titanium dioxide and zinc.
Viral infections
Years after Hill's grueling radiation treatments five days per week for seven weeks, doctors discovered he developed the cancer from the human papillomavirus infection, or HPV. "Across the board in the last several decades, we've seen a progressive increase in oral pharyngeal cancer. This is more frequently associated with the [HPV] infection," Kademani says. It's the same virus that causes cervical cancer in women. "I strongly advocate that parents should get their kids vaccinated -- boys and girls," Sturgis says.
Early detection is key.
Although some of these signs and risk factors may seem obvious, the AAOMS reports that an estimated 25 percent of oral cancer patients have no known risk factors. Sometimes, there are no symptoms at all. That's why it's important to go to the dentist for regular checkups and conduct self-examinations of your mouth and lips. The earlier the detection, the better your chances for successfully completing treatment. "Nobody expected me to live because it was found so late," Hill says. "[Oral cancer] is brutal. There's no way around that."
Samantha Costa is a Health + Wellness reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at scosta@usnews.com.
