skip to main content
Main Site Navigation
Top of main content

What Is Mouth Cancer?

Mouth cancer is a malignant tumor growing inside the mouth. It usually grows on the tongue or floor of the mouth but may grow on the gums, lips, jaw, and roof of the mouth. Most often, this cancer occurs in older men who used tobacco and drank alcohol in excess.

When found early, mouth cancer is highly curable with surgery or radiation therapy. Treatment is much less effective if smoking and drinking alcohol continue.

What Causes Mouth Cancer?

Chances of getting mouth cancer are greater with use of any kind of tobacco—cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco. Using alcohol with tobacco greatly increases chances of getting it. Other causes include anything that irritates the inside of the mouth, poor oral care, poorly fitting dentures, and sun exposure (lip cancer).

What Are the Symptoms of Mouth Cancer?

The first sign is usually a small sore in the mouth or on the lip. It may be a small red or white bump or patch or an open sore (or ulcer) that doesn’t heal.

Symptoms include tongue pain, feeling that something is caught in the throat, trouble swallowing, swollen jaw, and voice changes.

How Is Mouth Cancer Diagnosed?

The health care provider will examine your mouth. A small long-handled mirror to see the back of the tongue may be used. A small piece of tissue will be removed (biopsy) and sent to the laboratory for study. The health care provider may also do a chest x-ray.

If the biopsy shows mouth cancer, other tests may include computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to see the size of the cancer and how far it spread, which is called staging.

How Is Mouth Cancer Treated?

Treatment can involve surgery, radiotherapy, a combination of surgery and radiotherapy, and anticancer drugs (chemotherapy).

Surgery will depend on where the cancer is, its size, and how far it has spread. For very large tumors, the surgeon may remove part of the jaw bone. Mouth surgery may cause swelling that makes it hard to cough, spit, eat, and even breathe. Sometimes a temporary opening is made through the skin in the low part of the neck into the windpipe. This opening, a tracheostomy, makes it easier to breathe and cough and clear fluid from the lungs.

DOs and DON’Ts in Managing Mouth Cancer:

  • DO follow all directions from your health care provider.
  • DO call your health care provider if you have breathing problems, bleeding, or infection.
  • DO avoid tobacco products and heavy alcohol drinking to prevent mouth cancer.
  • DO have poorly fitting dentures repaired so that they don’t irritate the inside of your mouth.
  • DO see your health care provider if you have a new sore in your mouth or on your lip that doesn’t heal. Mouth cancer is highly curable when it’s very small and is found early.
  • DON’T use tobacco or drink alcohol.
  • DON’T drive a car after surgery until your health care provider says you can.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact the following source:

  • National Cancer Institute
    Tel: (800) 422-6237
    Website: http://www.cancer.gov
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
    Tel: (703) 836-4444
    Website: http://www.entnet.org
  • American Cancer Society
    Tel: (800) ACS-2345 (227-2345)
    Website: http://www.cancer.org

Copyright © 2016 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc.

Ferri’s Netter Patient Advisor

Not sure which type of care is right for you?

We can help.

GET CARE