Understanding when it can be cancer and risk factors

June 9, 2023

Potentially malignant lesions of the oral cavity are changes present in benign tissues, but with an enormous potential to become malignant, and may or may not precede oral cancer.

According to information from the Ministry of Health portal, if the disease is diagnosed early, 80% of cases have a better chance of recovery. Oral cancer, also known as cancer of the lip and oral cavity, is a malignant tumor of the lips and parts of the mouth, such as the gums, cheeks, roof of the mouth, and tongue (particularly the edges and under the tongue).


“Most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages. In many cases, treatment includes oncological surgery and/or radiotherapy. It is important to be evaluated by a dentist so that this diagnosis can be made quickly, barring other diagnostic hypotheses,” explained MSc. Oral diseases and MD, Flávia Soares.

Types of mouth ulcers, symptoms and risk factors

It is often benign, but in some early cases of cancer, leukoplakia is identified by a white lesion that cannot be removed by curettage. There are also erythropoiesis, which are those that the red lesion recognizes and can be primed as a significant indicator of the presence of malignant cells. Another lesion that can turn malignant is actinic cheilitis, caused by prolonged and continuous exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. “The latter manifests itself mainly on the lower lip, becoming dry and white,” Flávia details.


According to MS, symptoms to investigate are lesions in the oral cavity or on the lips that do not heal for more than 15 days, red or white spots and plaques, sores or sores on the tongue or gums, or on the surface of the gums. mouth and cheek. These sores are usually not painful.


Flávia Soares, who is also a professor of dentistry at the UniFTC University Center, in Vitória da Conquista, adds that cases need to be evaluated by a dentist. He concluded, “The health professional will examine the mouth for potentially dangerous lesions to prevent the severity of the disease.”


In more advanced cases, signs such as difficulty chewing and swallowing, speech impediments and a feeling that something is stuck in the throat are noted. The World Health Organization considers that early diagnosis can help reduce the incidence of cancer cases by up to 25% by 2025.


Risk factors are smoking, alcohol, sun exposure, and HPV infection, as well as genetic factors. Soares points out that from an early diagnostic diagnosis, in the early stages of the disease, the chances of a cure are greater and the prognosis is more optimistic. He advised “maintaining healthy habits, avoiding smoking habits, high consumption of alcoholic beverages, and periodic visits to the dentist to identify suspicious lesions and conduct early diagnosis.”

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