Oral-cancer is a serious problem for Americans. About 36,000 will get diagnosed with the disease a year but only half will survive within five years of their diagnosis.
All cancers are cause for concern, but oral-cancer is particularly serious. For your best chances at survival, it needs to be diagnosed and treated early on. If left untreated, oral-cancer can be aggressive and spread to the lungs or lymph nodes.
Sadly, once the disease has spread it becomes resistant to treatment and can be deadly.
What makes it worse is that oral cancer can be hard to detect. So, regular check ups " 6 months or annually, are helpful. Sometimes people don't find out they have cancer until it's too late to treat. This is because it isn't always symptomatic.
Some people do get warning signs, however, and they should pay attention to them. They include: a lump around the mouth, sores on the mouth that bleed, trouble chewing or swallowing, sensitivity in your mouth or near your lips and hoarseness.
Often patients that have oral cancer are smokers, heavy drinkers or chew tobacco. This isn't the case with everyone, however. It has been known to occur in people who don't follow the established behavior patterns that make you prone to getting the disease.
For the best prevention, be sure to visit the dentist regularly and have an oral exam. This is especially important if you are older than 45. Your dentist is trained to see the warning signs. These visits can save your life.
Always stay away from tobacco products and limit your alcohol use, as well. A healthy diet and limiting exposure to the sun will all help you avoid getting oral cancer. It's easier to take these precautions than to hope you find and treat the disease before it becomes fatal.
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