Oral Cancer Treatment in India

How to diagnose the Oral Cancer?

The best time for oral cancer diagnosis is as soon as you notice any of the signs and symptoms associated with oral cancer. A typical mouth cancer diagnosis starts with a dentist or a doctor conducting an exam of the oral cavity. This essentially includes an oral cancer screening exam. It will be followed by a physical exam to check for any lumps or irregularity in the mouth, oral cavity, neck, throat and head. The doctor may specifically look for sores and any type of discolouration the in the mouth. In addition, any other signs may also be looked for.

In case the dentist identifies a suspicious site in the oral cavity or a discoloured tissue, he or she may want to conduct a biopsy of a piece of tissue derived from the identified location. This painless procedure is also known as brush biopsy, in which some cells are scraped off from the oral cavity site and the cells are observed under a microscope to check for cancerous cells. In some cases, a procedure called scalpel biopsy is conducted to confirm the diagnosis.

In addition to the aforementioned exams, the following tests may be conducted to confirm oral cancer diagnosis:

• X-ray: An X-ray examination may be conducted to check whether cancer cells have spread to other locations, particularly jaws, lungs and chest.

• CT scan: A CT scan is sometimes conducted to check for the growth of tumour cells in the throat, neck, mouth, lungs or any other location.

• MRI: An MRI scan may be conducted to check for the extent of cancer.

• PET: A PET scan helps confirm whether cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or anywhere else.

• Endoscopy: This diagnostic procedure helps check sinuses, inner throat, nasal passage, trachea and the windpipe for the spread of cancer.

How to get the Oral Cancer Treatment?

Oral cancer treatment typically involves the same procedures that are used to remove the tumorous growth in any other form of cancer. Usually, a surgery is conducted to remove the cancerous growth from the oral cavity, mouth, face, cheeks, throat or any other part of the neck. The surgeons may take out the tissue surrounding the mouth and the neck during the surgery as well. Surgery is typically recommended for the treatment of early stage cancers. For the advanced form of oral cancer, a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy is advised.

Following are the methods to get oral cancer treatment:

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells. The drugs are either injected intravenously or given orally to the patient. This may be conducted as an outpatient procedure or the patient may be asked to stay in the hospital for a day or two.

Radiation therapy makes use of high-dose radiation to kill the cancer cells. The cells are directly targeted with radiation one or twice a day for at least five days a week. This treatment continued for a period of a few weeks, usually between 8 and 9 weeks.

Targeted therapy is another form of treatment in which specific drugs directly target the cancer cells by controlling the protein synthesis. As a result, the growth and multiplication of cancer cells are impaired.