There aren't any hard and fast timelines for whether or when oral cancer will spread. Size is more a determinant. For a moderate-sized oral cancer, there is roughly a 20 to 30 percent chance that it has already spread to the lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis.
Most oral cancers are a type called squamous cell carcinoma. These cancers tend to spread quickly.
See Risk Factors for Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers . Verrucous carcinoma is a rare type of squamous cell cancer that is most often found in the gums and cheeks. It's a low-grade (slow growing) cancer that hardly ever spreads to other parts of the body.
Early signs of mouth cancer one should look out for include: Mouth sores that easily bleed and do not heal. Loose teeth. Red or white patches on the tonsils, gums, tongue, or the mouth lining.
If the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the overall 5-year survival rate for all people is 85%. About 28% of oral and oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed at this stage. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the overall 5-year survival rate is 68%.
For all mouth (oral cavity) cancers:
more than 75 out of 100 people (more than 75%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed. around 55 out of 100 people (around 55%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Stages I and II oral cavity cancer
Most patients with stage I or II oral cavity cancers do well when treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy (chemo) given along with radiation (called chemoradiation) is another option. Both surgery and radiation work equally well in treating these cancers.
Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer or cancer of the oral cavity, is often used to describe a number of cancers that start in the region of the mouth. These most commonly occur on the lips, tongue and floor of the mouth but can also start in the cheeks, gums, roof of the mouth, tonsils and salivary glands.
If the cancer has not spread beyond the mouth or the part of your throat at the back of your mouth (oropharynx) a complete cure may be possible using surgery alone. If the cancer is large or has spread to your neck, a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be needed.
Oral cancer is a serious illness that if caught early on can be treated successfully. That's why it's important you try to see your dentist twice a year and make time to do a monthly self-examination. There are ways to prevent oral cancer, and one of the most important is to avoid using tobacco products.
Mouth cancer tends not to cause any noticeable symptoms during the initial stages of the disease. This is why it's important to have regular dental check-ups, particularly if you are a smoker, a heavy drinker or a betel chewer, because a dentist may often be able to detect the condition during an examination.
Cancer cells can spread from the mouth to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. Oral cancer can spread differently depending on where in the mouth it starts.
Symptoms of oral cancer are commonly mistaken for other, less serious conditions, such as a toothache or mouth sore. If seemingly benign symptoms persist, however, you should call your doctor, who may recommend tests to check for oral cancer.
In the early stages, mouth cancer rarely causes any pain. Abnormal cell growth usually appears as flat patches.
Age: The average age at diagnosis for oral cancer is 63, and more than two-thirds of individuals with this disease are over age 55, although it may occur in younger people, as well.
The good news: If you have oral cancer and your doctor finds and treats it early, it usually is very curable. Oral cancer can usually be detected by a doctor or dentist in a routine mouth exam.
In 2022, it is estimated that a person has a 1 in 252 (or 0.40%) risk of dying from head and neck cancer (including lip) by the age of 85 (1 in 165 or 0.61% for males and 1 in 533 or 0.19% for females).
Mouth cancer (oral cancer) is not an immediate death sentence, but it can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated early. If oral cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, the survival rate is about 81%. However, many are found in the late stages resulting in a death rate of about 45% at 5 years of diagnosis.
Oral cancer can be cured, but not in every case. Roughly 43 percent of all oral cancer patients die, many of them during their second or third bout with the disease. The late detection of oral cancer has pushed down the oral cancer survival rate.
Moreover, the survival rate depends on specific factors, like the cancer stage, cancer location, and the patient's age. The survival rate among people with early-stage untreated mouth cancer is around 30% for five years, whereas the rate gets reduced to 12% for people with Stage 4 untreated mouth cancer.
These mutated cells accumulate, forming a tumor that grows in the mouth and often spread to lymph nodes in the neck. Oral cancer is curable if detected at an early stage. And like other cancers, a large amount of effort has been dedicated to determining causes and improving treatments.
Survival at 5 years
Survival can vary from 95% at five years for stage 1 mouth cancer to 5% at five years for some cancers at stage 4 disease, depending on the location of the lesion. Stage of diagnosis affects survival, and people diagnosed with mouth cancer at stage 3 and 4 have a significantly reduced prognosis.
During an oral cancer screening exam, your dentist looks over the inside of your mouth to check for red or white patches or mouth sores. Using gloved hands, your dentist also feels the tissues in your mouth to check for lumps or other abnormalities. The dentist may also examine your throat and neck for lumps.
Mouth cancer can cause pain or a burning sensation when chewing and swallowing food. Or you might feel like your food is sticking in your throat. Difficulty swallowing can also be caused by a narrowing of the food pipe (oesophagus).