Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Specialists in Dental Implants

What Type of Cancers Do Oral Surgeons Treat?

Posted on 4/26/2021 by Malmquist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

The perception of cancer has changed over time. It used to be a death sentence whenever a patient received a cancer diagnosis. It didn't matter what type or how advanced. It only mattered that they had cancer. Thankfully, those perceptions have changed because of the advance in treatment options. No longer a death sentence, the outcome of a patient's cancer treatment is not written in stone.

Types of Cancer

As with cancer of the body, there are many different types of oral cancer. When it comes to cancer certain behaviors can increase the likelihood of contracting it. One of the most obvious behaviors is the use of tobacco products of any kind. Smoking cigars, cigarettes, and pipes all greatly increase the chances of getting oral cancer. Smokeless tobacco inserts between the gums and lips, or gums and cheeks all raise the chances of a patient to get cancer. Even the use of E-cigs is not recommended as they too have carcinogens in them. One of the oddest factors is being exposed to direct sunlight a lot.

The easiest type of cancer is known as a squamous cell carcinoma. While these are the easiest to treat, they are also the most commonly occurring oral cancer, making up over 90% of all diagnoses. Salivary gland carcinomas develop in the minor salivary glands located in either the mouth or the throat.

Making up approximately 5% of the cancer diagnoses, verrucous carcinomas are a slowly growing type of oral cancer which also involves the squamous cells. A unique factor is that this type of cancer does not cause harm to any surrounding tissue.

The lymph nodes are just beneath the lower jaw. Lymphomas are cancers that start in the lymph nodes and can spread throughout the body through the lymphatic system.

Approximately 25% of all leukoplakia cells can become cancerous as well. These are found in the mouth and show white patches when cancerous. However, not everything is cancer. We can help determine what your mouth sore may be that you are concerned about when you come see us.

All statistics provided by cancercare.com

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