Oral Cancer and Tumors in 6 Questions

What are Oral Cavity and Jaw Bone Tumors?

Tumors in the oral cavity and jaw area are pathologies that originate from soft tissue or hard tissue, can be benign or malignant, and are evaluated in the category of head and neck tumors.

What are the Causes of Oral and Jaw Bone Tumors?

As in all tumors and cancer types, which are the names given to malignant tumors, the main factor is genetic predisposition.

However, about 75% of oral cancers and tumors are associated with tobacco, drug use, or heavy alcohol use. However, poor oral hygiene, recurrent irritation of unhealthy dentures, malnutrition and some infections can be shown as causes of cancer.

What Are the Symptoms of Oral Cancers?

Benign tumors can arise from the salivary glands, gums, bone or dental tissue. The diagnosis can only be made by a biopsy taken by the physician.

It usually shows symptoms such as swelling, pain, failure of the existing prosthesis to fit in the mouth, loss of function. Oral cancers can develop as a result of untreated wounds that do not heal for a long time, white-red spots, formations that are considered as aphthae but are considered precancerous. Its symptoms can be summarized as tissue swelling, bleeding, pain, loss of function.

Which specialist makes the Mouth and Jaw Bone?

Treatment of oral cancers is not a simple treatment. It requires long-term treatment and follow-up under the coordination of an oncologist, otolaryngologist, dentist.

How Are Oral and Jaw Bone Tumors Treated?

The first procedure in the treatment of tumors is biopsy. Treatment options vary depending on whether the tumor is benign or malignant.

In benign tumors, surgical removal of the diseased tissue is usually sufficient. However, the treatment of malignant tumors, namely oral cancers, is more complicated.

In the treatment, firstly, surgical removal of the tumor tissue, chemotherapy or radiotherapy applications according to the tumor type and location, treatment of the defects with autogenous (with the patient’s own tissue), alloplastic (animal or synthetic origin materials such as grafts) or prosthetic materials, and continuous control of the patient. is monitored. In addition, it is very important to detect and eliminate the factor that will cause tumor formation, if possible.

What are the results when Mouth and Jaw Bone Tumors are not treated?

Untreated oral cancers can progress to the point of death of the patient. It definitely requires treatment. However, approximately 95% of early diagnosed oral cancers can be successfully treated.

Pendik Hospital

Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgeon Specialist

Dr. Esra ALPKILIÇ BAŞKIRT