When it comes to oral diseases, many people may first think of oral ulcers, gingival inflammation, dental caries, etc. However, in addition to these, oral cancer can also occur. Oral cancer includes tongue cancer, gum cancer, etc. There are about 50,000 new cases in my country every year.
Oral cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, more men than women. Oral cancer is mainly squamous cell carcinoma, accounting for about 90% of oral cancer. Experts remind that if oral ulcers persist for a long time and appear in the same location every time, be alert to the occurrence of oral cancer.
Guo Chuanyu, Dean of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology: In fact, the early stage of oral cancer is usually an ulcer, which may be a shallow ulcer. An ulcer that doesn’t heal, you take medicine and it doesn’t heal either. A normal ulcer usually takes a week or two, and it will slowly heal itself, but a cancerous ulcer will not, it will only get bigger and bigger.
The study found that smoking is an important factor leading to oral cancer in people under the age of 40. There are different degrees of inflammatory hyperplasia on the oral mucosa of smokers. In severe cases, the mucous membranes will proliferate and become white, called fume leukoplakia, and can transform into squamous cell carcinoma. Excessive drinking can cause chemical burns of the oral mucosa and promote its canceration. In addition, human papillomavirus infection is also closely related to oral cancer, and long-term chewing of betel nut can also lead to oral cancer.
Guo Chuanyu, Dean of Peking University Stomatological Hospital: If you chew betel nut, it will cause a disease in the mouth called submucosal fibrosis, which is a precancerous lesion. On this basis, it may be transformed into oral cancer, and betel nut is also a first-class carcinogen.