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When an abnormal area, growth, or patch is discovered in an individual’s mouth or oral cavity a biopsy is immediately ordered by a physician to determine whether or not it actually is cancer. Typically the patient in question is sent an ear nose and throat or oral surgeon who immediately removes a small portion of the abnormal growth or area. The small sample is then sent to a pathologist, where it is examined under a microscope to look for the presence of cancerous cells.

Typically, oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas in which squamous cells line the mouth or portion of the oral cavity in question.

If oral cancer is discovered by the pathologist the doctor will then determine the stage and aid in supplying the best treatment of the disease for the individual patient in question. The doctors utilize staging tests in an attempt to determine whether or not the cancer has spread (and if it has, which body parts are affected.)

It is important that a patient requiring a biopsy should ask their doctor how long the biopsy will last, whether or not it will be painless, and whether they will require anesthesia. The patient should find out how much tissue is being removed for testing, how the biopsy site should be taken care of post surgery, how soon the results will be returned to the patient, and what the next steps will be in the event that cancer is discovered. Staying active and knowledgeable during the testing and staging process is always an excellent idea.

Typically determining which stage the cancer is in will involve dental, head, and chest x-rays. The doctor could also order a CAT or CT scan, an ultrasound, or an MRI.

A complete physical examination will more than likely be necessary and the doctor will examine the individuals lymph nodes closely for changes or swelling.

Oral cancer seemed to be a myth a few decades back, until it hit very badly all those people who were laughing at it. The oral cancer is one the common type of cancer seen nowadays which is hardly surprising considering the number of smokers and tobacco eaters in the society. When someone says that something is forbidden to you, its charm increases tenfold, or so that is what the smokers teach you.

But did you know that the smokers are not the only one who can contract cancer. Anybody can catch it as there are many things that can cause cancer. A common question people ask the doctor when they get oral cancer is that “how can I have it when I don’t smoke?” and the answer for that question is that smoking is not the only cause.

Alcohol is one of the major causes of oral cancer. This small detail may surprise a few as nobody can imagine cancer being caused by alcohol, and that too to the orals. This risk also applies to strong alcohol based mouth washes and similar substances. This is not to imply that you should stop using alcohol products altogether, it simply means everything should be done within a limit.

You may be aware that tobacco is also a leading oral cancer causing agent. This is commonly seen in the cigarettes and other substances like the Indian “paan” and similar things. The tobacco is a highly dangerous and most common agent and should be avoided as much as possible. It is a substance known to contain over sixty percent of carcinogens.

There are many more things in the environment which causes cancer. What you should keep in mind is to do everything within a limit. This would ensure that you and the people around you are safe and secure from such risky diseases.

Oral cancer is one of the growing and major types of cancers in the world. Many efforts have been taken to curb the growth of the cancer but the fact remains that there are still many smokers, both occasional and chain smokers, who remain indifferent to the warnings. But then, get ready for a surprise because smoking is not the only agent causing oral cancer.

Alcohol is one of the major causes of oral cancer after tobacco consumption. It may come as a surprise to quite a few to know this. Alcohol, like tobacco contains many carcinogenic substances in it and when consumed beyond a level makes you highly susceptible to diseases such as these. So you can see that the liver is not the only organ that is going to be affected by this habit.

If you are a heavy smoker as well as a heavy drinker then it is probably high time to get your priorities right because such people are at a dangerously high risk of contracting oral cancer. And the most frightening part of oral cancer is that it cannot be diagnosed easily and is usually found out when some other area is affected. By this time the disease would have reached the last stages.

Alcohol and tobacco when consumed together interact synergistically in your body, which means that they would combine to form a greater substance that increases the harmful effects of each other. Apart from that alcohol is the second largest agent for causing oral cancer in the U.S. So perhaps you should think again before indulging in the habit.

Some of the alcohol containing products like mouthwashes too have a risk of giving you oral cancer. So you can reduce the consumption of that as well. Nobody is asking you to stop all these altogether; it can be taken occasionally but with a limit. Else you put yourself at a risk.

Cancer is one of the major death causing diseases in the world. Among these, the oral cancer is a common and a serious disease because it can be caused easily by the very things which you are addicted to. It is a very painful way to live, causing disfiguration and other problems which can make you a living ghost instead of a human being.

The symptoms of oral cancer are very few. In fact this disease is very difficult to diagnose because the signs are very subtle and silent. It is only when it has reached a later stage and affects some other part of the body that the professionals get a clear idea what is going on in your body. The fact that the signs are very subtle makes it a very frightening disease as you won’t know what hit you until the last moment.

The most common symptom is the skin lesions or ulcers you can get when the disease starts. The lesions can occur on the tongue, lip or areas surrounding the mouth. These may be usually small or pale so that it may appear to be negligible. These are hardly noticeable in the beginning but can be very painful towards the end.

The skin lesions are not exactly a strong pointer to oral cancer because it can occur even in normal cases and this is why it is often overlooked. There may also be other symptoms such as swallowing difficulties, mouth sores and tongue problems which develop at some stage. At a later stage you will experience pain and paresthesia which means numbness or a tingling sensation.

It would be always better to get tests done no matter whether you are not a smoker or drinker. The environment or a smoker in the family would be enough to cause this disease. All you can do is be vigilant and try to lead a healthy life.