Cancer in the body, Prophet of the mouth? 5 signs in the mouth that may be a sign of cancer coming

The 60-year-old Aunt Yang has always been in good health. But a few months ago, she felt that there was always a sore and sore spot on the left side of her mouth.

She thought it was caused by the rotten root of the tooth left behind a few years ago occasionally wearing the mucosa next to it, and the ulcer surface would gradually shrink after a few days of each ulcer, so she didn't care too much.

But the recent oral ulcer has not improved after several weeks. Instead, the ulcer surface is getting bigger and bigger. As long as you eat anything casually, it will irritate the ulcer and cause pain, and the problem of bad breath has become more and more serious . It's a small hard lump .

Under the repeated urging of her family, Aunt Yang finally went to the hospital for treatment. Finally, according to the results of the pathology report, Aunt Yang was diagnosed with well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the left buccal mucosa, which is a type of oral cancer .

Aunt Yang didn't understand very much. Isn't it just a small oral ulcer, how could it become oral cancer?

1. The word cancer has three mouths, and many cancers are "eat" out

The occurrence of cancer is affected by many factors, such as environment, diet, bad living habits, etc. Among them, diet is a major determinant.

In 2019, The Lancet published a systematic study on the health effects of dietary risks. Researchers analysed the dietary patterns of adults aged 25 or older in 195 countries or territories from 1990-2017

The study found that nearly 22% of global deaths are related to an unhealthy diet. Among the many bad eating habits, the top three are high sodium, low grains and low fruits , which mainly cause people to suffer from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

In addition, a variety of cancers are basically "eat" out, especially the following common cancers.

• Oral cancer: More than 40% of oral cancers are related to alcohol, and smoking is the leading cause of oral cancer in people under the age of 40.
• Esophageal cancer: Relevant data show that more than 90% of esophageal cancer patients usually like to eat hot food and drink hot drinks.
• Gastric cancer: Excessive intake of high-salt foods will directly stimulate the gastric mucosa, easily induce gastritis or ulcers, and increase the risk of cancer.
• Bowel cancer: Long-term constipation will force the intestines to repeatedly absorb harmful substances, which in turn induces bowel cancer.
• Liver cancer: Moldy food contains aflatoxin, which can induce liver cancer.

2. Cancer is coming, mouth prophet? These anomalies need to be alerted

Data show that in the past 40 years, the annual incidence of oral cancer in China has increased sharply from 81 per million to 202 per million, and the mortality rate of oral cancer has increased by four times. 10,000 cases.

Oral cancer refers to malignant tumors that appear in the oral cavity. Because it involves important organs such as the tongue, lips, palate, floor of the mouth, upper and lower jaws, and cheeks, and is prone to cervical lymph node metastasis, it often leads to facial deformities . Functions such as eating and speech are impaired, and even life-threatening.

When oral cancer occurs, the body may issue the following warnings, and prevention should be done as soon as possible.

1. Oral ulcers

If the oral ulcer does not heal for more than 2 weeks , or even for several months, it is necessary to be alert to the possibility of oral cancer.

The early symptoms are small ulcers, shallow or deep, with uneven central ulcers, bulges around the edges, and relatively hard texture, which are more common in the abdomen, tongue edges, corners of the mouth, gums, and cheeks.

2. Leukoplakia

Healthy oral mucosa is pink in color, but if the color of the oral mucosa changes to white, black, or brown, this represents changes in the mucosal epidermal cells.

In particular, the oral mucosa has leukoplakia or erythema , and the oral mucosa becomes rough and hard, with induration, which is very likely to be cancerous.

3. loose teeth

If the teeth are obviously loose, the possibility of oral cancer should be considered after the examination by a professional dentist and the exclusion of periodontal disease and other factors.

4. Unknown mass

If there is an unexplained lump in the mouth, the surrounding of the lump is relatively hard, and the surrounding is infiltrated into the deep tissue , it may be oral cancer. In some patients with oral cancer, the mass grows outward and presents a prominent cauliflower-like shape.

5. Tongue numbness

If the mobility of the tongue is restricted, making it difficult to chew, swallow, or speak , or if the tongue is half of the tongue, and there is numbness, go to the hospital as soon as possible to check whether it is caused by oral cancer.

3. It’s not too late to prevent oral cancer, you might as well quit these 4 kinds of food first

The 5-year survival rate of oral cancer can be as high as 60% , and the treatment effect of early stage cancer will be more ideal. Therefore, early prevention is very important for oral cancer. To prevent oral cancer, it is recommended to " quit " the following 4 foods as much as possible:

1. Tobacco

Tobacco and smoke contain a variety of harmful substances, which can cause and promote the occurrence of cancer. According to statistics, more than 90% of oral cancer patients are smokers .

2. Alcohol

Regular drinking can easily lead to oral cancer such as tongue cancer and floor cancer. Because alcohol comes into contact with the mucous membranes of the tongue and floor of the mouth repeatedly, it can cause mucous membrane burns and increase the absorption of carcinogens.

3. Betel nut

Betel nut has long been listed as a first-class carcinogen. Long-term consumption of betel nut is not only addictive, but also may cause diseases such as oral leukoplakia and oral cancer.

Among them, oral submucosal fibrosis caused by chewing betel nut is a precancerous lesion, which can become oral cancer after a long-term chronic pathological process.

4. Hot food

The temperature of hot food can reach 60-70 ℃ and above, which can scald the oral mucosa, and the oral mucosa is repeatedly damaged for a long time, which will induce cancer of the oral mucosa cells and develop into oral cancer.

To prevent oral cancer, you should eat more zinc-containing foods containing vitamin B and C such as tomatoes, carrots, and spinach, and keep your mouth clean. Brush your teeth three times a day. Brush for 3 minutes each time to ensure that all 3 sides of the teeth are brushed.

Oral cancer is closely related to diet. If you want to prevent oral cancer, you must first get rid of bad eating habits. Once you find abnormal symptoms in the oral cavity, you must go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.

References:

[1] " One word "cancer" has three mouths! Taking care of your mouth is the best "anti-cancer drug" ". Life Times. 2017-10-09

[2] " Smoking, drinking, chewing betel nut... Every hobby will lead you to the abyss of oral cancer! ". Health Times. 2020-07-31

[3] " Incurable! Mouth ulcers recurring? Beyond this time, beware of cancer coming to your door...》. Popular Science China. 2020-09-23

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