{"id":3680,"date":"2019-02-05T07:57:41","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T07:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=3680"},"modified":"2021-05-27T13:05:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T13:05:46","slug":"15-symptoms-of-oral-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-symptoms-of-oral-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Symptoms of Oral Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The term cancer is used to define abnormal growth of cells that cause damage or invade surrounding tissue. Oral cancer starts as a mouth sore or growth that stays in place for long periods of time. Oral cancer encompasses cancer of the cheeks, tongue, lips, hard palate, soft palate, the floor of the mouth, pharynx, and sinuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be a serious threat to your life if it isn\u2019t diagnosed in the early stages and treated immediately. The first signs that you\u2019ll notice when oral cancer starts to develop are hard to diagnose as they can also be caused by other problems that are less severe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These involve toothaches and colds. That said, if you notice your symptoms lingering for weeks or even months, you should consult with your doctor so that they can check whether or not you have oral cancer and administer proper treatment if you do have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Mouth sores
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Most cases of oral cancer involve the development of mouth<\/a> sores. They often appear benign and look like a virus-induced abscess or canker sore. That said, those types of sores often resolve themselves after a week or two with little to no treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why you should always get yourself checked out if you notice your sores lingering for more than two weeks, and perhaps even multiple months. Another way to tell if a sore is cancerous is by taking note of the texture. You\u2019ll find that most sores that are soft and thin are abscess ulcers whereas oral tumors caused by oral cancers are hard and thick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, canker sores and ulcers don\u2019t bleed while tumors do. If you notice any sores on your mouth, especially ones that linger, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor or dentist and get yourself checked out. The sooner you get to the bottom of the problem, the sooner you can treat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Bad breath
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When the tumors caused by oral cancers become very large in size and outgrow their blood <\/a>supply, it will form an ulcer. Bacteria could then infect the site of the sore. These invasive bacteria will cause a foul odor that will linger even after you have brushed your teeth and gargled with mouthwash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inability to remove this smell is the easiest way to distinguish it from morning breath. Additionally, you might notice that the foul odor is accompanied by pain whenever you swallow. It\u2019s worth noting that not every cause of foul odor in our mouth suggests oral cancer. Other causes could include tonsilitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, even if you do have tonsilitis, you\u2019ll still need to receive treatment to ensure that this relatively minor issue doesn\u2019t spiral into something more severe. If your tests do come up positive and you are diagnosed with oral cancer, don\u2019t panic. Instead, just get the proper treatment and hope that you diagnosed it early enough to beat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. White or red patches
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White or red patches that appear on your tongue<\/a>, gums, or other areas within your mouth could be an indication that, while you may not have cancer just as of yet, a tumor is about to develop. If you notice these patches and they last for a period of longer than a couple of weeks, you should immediately call your doctor and schedule an appointment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of a checkup becomes amplified if you see a sore near the patches that has a firm consistency. Even if the patches have been present for less than two weeks, it wouldn\u2019t hurt to get yourself tested so that you can pinpoint the issue and administer and necessary treatment early on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earlier you treat whatever s causing the problem, the better your chances of beating it. You don\u2019t need to panic if you notice these patches on your mouth. They don\u2019t necessarily mean that you have cancer, but making sure is the safest way to play it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Ear pain
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Ear pain <\/a>is another indicator that you might have oral cancer. If you notice that the ear pain is only affecting a single side of your head, it might actually not be related to your ears per se. The same nerves that provide sensation to your voice box, tongue, and the back of your mouth are linked to your ears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice pain in that area, it might actually be the nerves as opposed to the ears themselves. Adults rarely deal with ear infections, and whenever they do suffer from them, it will often affect both sides as opposed to just one. If you notice a lingering pain in only one of your ears, you should go to your doctor immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if it turns out to be something less serious such as a swimmer\u2019s ear, your doctor will still be able to treat it and alleviate the pain that your feeling. If it is due to cancer, at least you\u2019ll have an early diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Tongue pain
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The pain that you feel when there is a growth or lesion<\/a> on your tongue is one that you\u2019re unlikely to forget for years to come. In comparison to the other parts of your body, the tongue is very sensitive. It\u2019s almost on par with the sensitivity of your fingerprints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing as it\u2019s so sensitive, it makes its perception of pain amplified in comparison to other parts of your mouth. This is why you\u2019ll often feel the most pain in your tongue if you eat something spicy or hot. That said, if you notice chronic pain in your tongue that\u2019s caused by a lesion, you should get it checked out sooner rather than later as it could be due to oral cancer and be one of the first tumors that have manifested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other things that might lead to the growth of lesions on your tongue, but verifying that the growths aren\u2019t cancerous is a good idea nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Weight loss
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Weight loss<\/a> is normally a good thing, but not when it is a result of peculiar circumstances. The pain that you feel in your tongue will likely demotivate you and lead to you eating less due to the immense pain. If you eat less, you\u2019ll inevitably lose weight. That said, there could also be other reasons that you would start losing weight without any apparent reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such cause could be the possibility of a tumor spreading into other areas of your body such as the liver. When your cancer progresses and eats up more calories in your body, you\u2019ll notice that your weight consistently sheds off even if you haven\u2019t reduced the size of your meals or increased the frequency of your workout sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice yourself shrinking without any apparent reason, you should stop flexing in the mirror and start booking an appointment with your doctor. While a slimmer appearance is one thing that many people favor, it shouldn\u2019t be praised if it caused by a life-threatening disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Numbness in the mouth
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If your oral cancer progresses to a point that the tumors it is causing become significantly large, it might start injuring the nerves in your mouth which may lead to numbness <\/a>in specific parts of your gums. The numbness won\u2019t just spring out though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will most likely have already been suffering from the pain the tumor was causing for months on end before it gets to the point of numbness. When it comes to the nerves, feeling pain is actually better than feeling a numbness as numbness often indicates that nerve damage has occurred. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no need to panic as, with proper treatment, it may be possible to reverse the nerve damage. The best way to ensure that no permanent damage is caused is by getting treatment as soon as possible and getting an early diagnosis with your doctor. Most nerve damage only becomes permanent when it is neglected by the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Loose teeth
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Tumors on your gums <\/a>can compromise the structural integrity of the connective tissue that is holding your tooth in place. As a result, you might notice one or more of your teeth becoming looser without any obvious reason. Many problems related to teeth are, just that, related to teeth and caused by degrading health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, you don\u2019t need to scream cancer whenever a tooth falls out. That said, it certainly wouldn\u2019t hurt to run a biopsy on some excess tissue during the tooth extraction so that you can find out whether or not it\u2019s malignant. Another important thing that you should note is the fact that gum disease leads to a higher chance of developing oral cancer throughout the course of your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loose teeth are often shrugged off as a fact of life, but it\u2019s important to remember that sometimes you could lose some of your teeth due to more serious, underlying problems, and as such, should run all the proper tests to ensure your body is fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. A lowered immune system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The immune system<\/a> is your body\u2019s natural mechanism for making sure that you\u2019re protected against picking up viruses and infections even when you might encounter them. The difference between someone encountering a person with flu and then either getting the flu (or not) lies in how their immune system is functioning at that point: Two people can meet the same person who has flu, but only one of these two people (even if they were standing side-by-side!) is likely to contract it and their high (or low) immune system is why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have mouth cancer or any other form of an underlying illness, it can have a negative impact on your immune system and you might notice that you are getting sick more often and taking longer to heal. In the absence of any cancer symptoms, a lower immune system can also sometimes be traced to other causes such as following an unhealthy general diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do what you can to better your immune system and diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Loss of appetite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you feel like you have lost your appetite<\/a> \u2013 either suddenly or over a longer period of time \u2013 then it means you should see your doctor in order to find the reason. Where the loss of appetite is concerned, there\u2019s always an underlying cause for it, and the possible reasons for appetite loss are far more than what could be listed here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loss of appetite is common in many disorders and diseases that might affect either your gut \u2013 which is a far more diverse list of conditions than you might think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cancer (and often cancer treatments) can both lead to a gradual or sudden loss of appetite. Sometimes medication that helps to \u201cwake up\u201d the appetite can be used to recover from this, and there are many great \u201cnatural health\u201d remedies that thousands of people swear by as possible appetite stimulants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you experience any appetite loss (whether an expected side-effect or not), discuss the symptom with your doctor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Fatigue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue<\/a> as a symptom can be described as something that\u2019s more than just tiredness: Fatigue is what happens when the symptom of simple tiredness doesn\u2019t go away, whether we\u2019re talking about a few weeks through to a few months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re experiencing fatigue as a symptom, then you\u2019ll be tired no matter how much sleep you might be getting. Even when it\u2019s enough, your body might permanently feel like it\u2019s just gotten off a long red-eye flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a symptom that can accompany many diseases and disorders, including most types of cancers out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiencing the symptom doesn\u2019t mean that you automatically have cancer, but it can mean that you have an underlying health condition that needs to be diagnosed sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always have symptoms like fatigue checked out in order to find the root cause, which can only be treated properly once you (and your doctor) have been able to identify the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. A bad taste in the  mouth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a chronic bad taste in the mouth is a common symptom<\/a> associated with advanced stages of mouth cancer, although it can also commonly be caused by other dental issues such as an abscess present in the mouth or jaw which tries to drain and subsequently causes the taste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to tell your doctor about any other symptoms that you might be experiencing at the same time as the bad taste. Where chest pain and coughing are experienced, it can point to a respiratory infection \u2013 but where back pain and a garlic-like smell is present, it could point to underlying problems with your kidneys, liver or heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience a bad taste in your mouth that doesn\u2019t appear to go away even with improvements to your dental hygiene, it\u2019s time to speak to your doctor about any other potential causes for the symptom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it might be nothing, it should always function as a potential red flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Slower healing of wounds and ulcers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The presence of cancer anywhere in the body can be overwhelming for everything else present, and this includes the immune system. One of the first things that you might notice if you have developed mouth cancer, whether advanced stages or still in the early ones, is that your healing time slows down considerably \u2013 and this is partly because the weakened body and immune system simply won\u2019t have the energy to keep up with sending resources to the injury<\/a> site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is commonly experienced where cancer itself occurs, and you\u2019re very likely to experience the slower healing of cuts and wounds in your mouth first \u2013 although might also notice other associated issues such as easier bruising and changes in how your body bleeds (and clots thereafter). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider any general healing or bleeding issues to be serious symptoms that warrant an appointment with your doctor. This becomes truer where you have a family history of related issues, or experience more than one symptom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Headaches without apparent cause<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone gets a headache <\/a>once in a while, and it\u2019s not usually a serious alarming medical symptom when you do: But once you get repeated, unbearable headaches that don\u2019t appear to have any underlying or obvious cause, you should see your doctor \u2013 and if you experience several of the symptoms that have been mentioned on this list, consider it a danger sign that you might have mouth cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usual run-of-the-mill headaches are caused by things like neck strain, or things like diet triggers (coffee and chocolate are two common ones). Eliminating these trigger factors is usually enough to make the problem go away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where it isn\u2019t, it\u2019s something else not run-of-the-mill that\u2019s causing your headache, and you should make an appointment with your doctor sooner rather than later. In order to make things easier for your doctor, you should take note of any other additional symptoms that you might be experiencing at the same time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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15. Pain in the jaw<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Feelings of pain and numbness <\/a>in the tongue aren\u2019t the only ways in which the body can react to underlying oral cancer. It might also sometimes spread to other parts of the body in the near vicinity, like pain in the jaw. Pain in the ear (as described earlier) is also commonly reported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes chronic jaw pain can be traced down to other causes like bruxism (grinding of the teeth, usually at night) or to arthritis, which can affect any part of the body consisting of bone, which surprisingly can include both the jaw and the teeth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where you feel pain in the jaw together with any serious discomfort, loss of appetite or fever, you should make an appointment with your doctor in order to discuss the potential cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might be something much less serious than you think at first, but it might also be a serious medical warning sign that you shouldn\u2019t ignore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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