April is the Oral Cancer Awareness month; do some work…

April is the Oral Cancer Awareness month. Oral cancer is the cancer of the Mouth.

Keep on checking the signs and symptoms of this disease and tell others. It is our moral responsibility.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer:

Symptoms of oral cancer are sore, lump or ulcer in the mouth which is usually painless in the beginning but as the tumor advances burning sensations and pain develop. Chewing problems, mouth sores, speech and swallowing difficulties, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, tongue problems and weight loss may occur.

[hana-code-insert name=’StumbleUpon’ /][hana-code-insert name=’Reddit’ /] Tests for Oral Cancer:

Gum biopsy and Tongue biopsy are used to confirm the cases of oral cancer. Biopsy is the removal of a sample of a tissue from the body for the laboratory examination.

X-rays and CT scans may help to determine whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

Statistics:

According to recent 2012 statistics of American Cancer Society, nearly 35000 people would get oral or oropharyngeal cancer and an estimated 6800 people would die from cancer.

“While the five-year survival rate of oral cancer victims is among the lowest of all cancers, there is hope,” says Dr. Michael Bergstein, of Sleepy Hollow’s ENT and Allergy Associates office. “The first step in putting a halt to oral cancer is for individuals to perform a quick oral self-exam. Oral self-exams are important for everyone since over 25 percent of oral cancer victims have no known risk factors. These self-exams are simple to perform and can prompt individuals to seek medical attention at the very earliest sign of trouble.”

It has been estimated that survival rates are higher i.e. about 80% in patients whom cancer has been caught earlier while the survival rate drops to about 30% if it spreads to the lymph system.