Three Common Signs of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is a serious — and very deadly — disease. The worst part about it is that most people never realize there’s something wrong until the cancer has reached an aggressive stage. At that point, treatment is typically radical, invasive, and recovery rates drop.

The key to treating oral cancer successfully is to routinely screen for and identify warning signs as early as possible. That way you can get treated earlier, before the cancer spreads.

Common signs of pathology and precancerous tissues include:

• Tissues that Look “Different” Than the Others — White, red, raised, sunken in, or speckled tissue that stands out from the skin around it should always catch your
  attention. To be safe, look at the area on the opposite side of your mouth to see if it’s mirrored. If it doesn’t have a partner, then it probably shouldn’t be there at all.
• Difficulty Swallowing — Is it difficult to swallow your food? Having lumps or nodules in the back of your mouth and upper neck could indicate something going on in one of the associated lymph nodes.
• Sores That Don’t Heal Like They Should — These sorts of lesions may be most noticeable on or around your lips. Most sores typically heal within two weeks, tops. If you have one that lasts longer than that or doesn’t seem to heal at all, you need to get a cancer screening right away.