Oral cancer is the uncontrollable and abnormal growth of cells that causes damage to the healthy cells in the mouth. It is life-threatening and must be treated in the primary stages.

Oral cancer can be caused by smoking, chewing tobacco, excessive consumption of alcohol, family history of oral cancer, and excessive exposure to sunlight.

Types of oral cancer

Based on the type of cells affected, oral cancer types are classified as:

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Verrucous carcinoma
• Minor salivary gland cancers
• Lymphoma
• Benign oral cavity tumors

Based on the location, oral cancer types are classified as:

• Lip cancer
• Mouth cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma

Of all the oral cancer types, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common, affecting about 90% of oral cancer patients. Squamous cells are located in the lining of the throat and mouth, and their malignancy causes this type of cancer.

Verrucous carcinoma

This is a type of oral cancer that develops slowly. It is made up of squamous cells but seldom spreads to other parts of the body. It can, however, affect neighboring tissues.

Minor salivary gland carcinoma

Salivary glands are located throughout the inner lining of the mouth and produce saliva that lubricates the mouth and helps in chewing food. When these cells turn cancerous, they are classified under this type. There are several types of salivary gland carcinomas like adenoid cystic carcinoma, polymorphous adenocarcinoma, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Lymphoma

Lymph tissues are present in the tonsils and the base of the tongue. When oral cancer cells develop in these lymph tissues, it is called lymphoma. This affects the immune system.

Benign oral cavity tumors

These are precancerous tumors that have a very high chance to turn malignant. It mostly develops in the oral cavity and oropharynx. To be on the safer side, these tumors are generally removed. These benign lesions come as fibroma, granular cell tumor, leiomyoma, osteochondroma, lipoma, neurofibroma, papilloma, odontogenic tumors, etc.

Lip cancer

Lip cancer is one of the most common oral cancer types. It majorly affects men and mostly occurs in the squamous cells.

Symptoms of lip cancer are:

• A lump on the lip
• Persistent lip pain
• Numb lips
• A sore lump on the lip that doesn’t heal
• A neck mass

Treatment for lip cancer varies from patient to patient depending on the size and type of tumor that is formed on the lip. The goal is to cure cancer while harming the least number of healthy cells and leading to the least number of side effects. The safest treatment is surgery which can work effectively if the cancer is detected at an early stage. Other treatments are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy or a combination of all three.

Mouth cancer

Mouth cancer is a generalized form of cancer that covers all the malignant cells formed in the lips, gums, tongue, and lining of the mouth. Symptoms of mouth cancer include:

• Jaw pain
• An abnormal lump in the mouth
• White or red patches in the mouth
• Difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and moving the tongue and jaw

Treatments for mouth cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted drug therapy.