Five symptoms to beware of oral cancer

Gum cancer, floor of mouth cancer, and hard palate cancer, etc. For this reason, Fa Yonghong, director of the Department of Stomatology at the Second Artillery General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, reminded that if the following five symptoms appear in the mouth, one should be alert to the possibility of oral cancer.

Turns white, brown, or black:

If it turns white, brown or black, it means that changes have occurred in the mucosal epithelial cells. In particular, if the oral mucosa becomes rough, thickened or indurated, and white spots or erythema appear in the oral mucosa, cancer may have occurred.

The course of oral ulcers generally does not exceed two weeks. If symptoms such as burning sensation and pain do not improve after two weeks, you should be alert to the possibility of oral cancer. Because oral cancer often manifests itself in the form of ulcers, with raised edges, an uneven center, and covered with necrotic tissue, causing obvious pain.

Experts point out that one of the important reasons why oral cancer is difficult to detect is that most oral cancers are painless in the early stages.

Pain is obvious:

In the early stage, it is generally painless or only has a local abnormal friction feeling. After ulceration, the pain will be obvious. As the tumor further invades the nerves, it may cause ear and throat pain.

Oral cancer often metastasizes to the nearby cervical lymph nodes. Sometimes the primary lesion is very small and the symptoms are not even obvious, but metastatic cancer cells are found in the cervical lymph nodes. Therefore, if the lymph nodes in the neck suddenly swell, the oral cavity should be checked.

Dysfunction:

The tumor may invade the muscles that open and close the mouth and the mandibular joint, resulting in limited opening and closing movements.

It should be emphasized that although the above symptoms are common symptoms of oral cancer, they cannot be used to determine whether you have cancer. Because oral inflammation can also cause the above symptoms, it is best to go to the hospital for timely treatment, early diagnosis, and symptomatic treatment.