Oral Cancer & Pre-Cancer

Facial Surgery | Oral Cancer & Pre-Cancer

Oral Cancer & Pre-Cancer

White patches, red patches, ulcers or lumps in the mouth, if persist for more than 3 weeks, need to be checked by your doctor as they can be a sinister condition. Oral pre-cancer is usually painless in the initial stages. At Mukha Facial Surgery, Dr Girish will carry out a biopsy (a small piece of tissue from the lesion is sent to the pathologist) and if it turns out to be malignant, surgery or radiotherapy will have to be followed.

What causes oral pre-cancer and oral cancer?

Most of these conditions are due to an associated habit such as smoking, drinkng excessive alcohol, arecca nut, pan masala and gutaka. There is a higher risk of transformation to oral cancer in people who have pre-malignant lesions. A biopsy must be done to confirm the stage of the disease and if the transformation to oral cancer has already occured.

Early detection and treating oral pre-cancer condition can prevent oral cancer

The goal should be to reverse the process of transforming the pre-malignant lesion to normal mucosa. Complete cessation of the habit in majority of the cases helps in prevention of transformation of the pre-malignant lesion of the oral cancer. It is alway prudent to get a biopsy done to confirm the diagnosis. Many a times, excision of these pre-malignant lesions with co2 laser helps in formation of healthy mucosa.