A 67-year-old man developed oral cancer after many years of maintaining the same habit

According to Mr. Hai, there is a lump inside his left cheek, hard like a grain of gravel, causing pain and difficulty chewing food. Recently, the tumor became larger, ulcerated and painful, and did not heal. He went to Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City for a check-up.

MSc. Dr. Doan Minh Trong, Head and Neck Unit, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the patient's left cheek mucosa had an ulcer about 2.5 cm in size, rough, pinkish-white, and had not invaded the skin. The biopsy result was stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, keratinized, invading the left cheek mucosa.

Through medical history investigation, Mr. Hai said he had a habit of smoking since he was 20 years old, about 10 cigarettes a day, and only occasionally drank alcohol. During stressful times, he can smoke 15-20 cigarettes a day. Mr. Hai has smoked for 40 years.

Over the past 3 years, patients with diabetes and high blood pressure have smoked less.

Dr. Trong recommends that smokers are 5-6 times more likely to get oral cancer than non-smokers. The risk of oral cancer increases with duration of smoking. People who both smoke and drink alcohol are 30 times more likely to get oral cancer than normal people.

"Patient Hai smokes a lot of cigarettes, which is one of the risk factors for oral cancer ," said Dr. Trong.

Cigarettes contain more than 60 toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, arsenic, radioactive substances, hydrogen cyanide, benzene... These substances can weaken the immune system, mutate DNA (genes), and cause cancer. Cells in the mouth have damaged DNA that can lead to oral cancer.

The doctor prescribed surgery to remove the left cheek mucosa cancer, remove the left upper neck lymph nodes, then perform additional radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells and prevent cancer metastasis. After surgery, the patient should eat porridge and soft foods for 1-2 weeks, combined with rinsing the mouth with sterile saline to help the wound heal quickly.

Distinguishing cancer from mouth ulcers

According to Dr. Trong, oral cancer is a condition in which malignant lesions form in the oral cavity in locations such as the tongue, mucous membranes, gums, floor of the mouth, palate (the partition between the nasal cavity and oral cavity), and lips.

It is unclear what causes oral cancer. In addition to smoking and drinking alcohol, some other factors increase the risk of disease such as:

- Infection with papilloma virus (HPV), epstein barr virus (EBV).

- Someone in the family has oral cancer...

- Poor oral hygiene, gum disease.

- Smoking is, being exposed to passive smoke for a long time.

People with mouth cancer can easily be confused with common mouth ulcers. According to Dr. Trong, mouth ulcers are often concave in the middle, white or gray in color, with red or pink-red edges, painful but benign, and usually heal within two weeks.

Ulcers caused by oral cancer are often accompanied by neck tumors, bleeding from the mouth, loose teeth, swollen or sore lips that do not heal, difficulty swallowing, changes in voice, and unexplained weight loss.

Doctor Trong recommends that people with tumors, red or white patches, mouth ulcers that do not heal after 1-2 weeks, swollen jaw, persistent mouth pain, difficulty swallowing, chewing, etc. should go to the doctor for examination, diagnosis and appropriate treatment. In addition, people should go for regular medical check-ups every 6 months to detect any abnormalities. In addition, it is necessary to maintain a healthy diet, a lifestyle with increased physical activity, limit alcohol and do not smoke, etc.