April 2022 Newsletter

April 2022 Newsletter

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month

A real danger of Oral Cancers is that in its early stages, it can go unnoticed. It can be painless, and little in the way of physical changes may be obvious. Your Dentist can in many cases, see or feel the precursor tissue changes, or actual cancer while it is still very small, or in its earliest stages. It may appear as a white or red patch of tissue in the mouth, or a small indurated ulcer that looks like a common canker sore. There are many benign tissue changes that occur normally in your mouth, and some things as simple as a bite on the inside of your cheek may mimic the look of a dangerous tissue change. it is important to have any sore or discolored area of your mouth, which does not heal within 14 days looked at by a professional. Other symptoms include; a painless lump or mass which can be felt inside the mouth or neck, pain or difficulty in swallowing, speaking, or chewing, any wart-like masses, hoarseness which lasts for a long time, or any numbness in the oral/facial region. Unilateral persistent earache can also be a warning sign.

We know that all cancers (neoplastic transformations) result from changes (mutations) in genes that control cell behaviors. Mutated genes may result in a cell which grows and proliferates at an uncontrolled rate, is unable to repair DNA damage within itself, or refuses to self destruct or die (apoptosis). It takes more than one mutation to turn a cell cancerous. Specific classes of genes must be mutated several times to result in a neoplastic cell, which then grows in an uncontrolled manner. When a cell does become mutated to this point, it is capable of passing on the mutations to all of its progeny when it divides.

Oral Cancer can affect any age group but is found that those over the age of 40 are at a higher risk as the immune system competence diminishes with age. Oral Cancer can be the accumulative damage from certain factors, such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and persistent viral infections such as HPV. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Hsu or Dr. DiGiallorenzo if you suspect these types of physical changes within your oral health. Please give our offices a call at either 570-300-7133 in Montoursville, Pa. or 610-409-6064 in Collegeville, Pa. for an appointment.