What Are The Different Stages of Mouth Cancer?

Millions of lives are lost every year because of cancer. Cancer cells can affect any part of the human body including the mouth. Mouth cancer or oral cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer which affects people globally. But cancer cells grow in various stages and affects a person over time if not treated well with the necessary treatment facilities. Similarly, mouth cancer also has different stages. It is durable and a person can be saved if it is diagnosed when it is in the initial stages. Otherwise, it can be fatal and eventually cause life-threatening conditions, even death.

Different Stages of Mouth Cancer
Mouth cancer usually develops in four stages. High chances of recovery and cure are possible when it has been found in the initial stages i.e. Stage 1 and 2. But the later stages are fatal and can bring serious medical issues. The earlier the stage of diagnosis the person has been, the higher the chances they have to survive in the coming years. Here are the four important stages of mouth or oral cancer.

Stage 1: in the first stage, the tumour is about 2 cms in size or can be smaller than that as well. The carcinogenic cells have not yet spread to the lymph nodes and can be diagnosed properly to prevent any further growth.

Stage 2: after the first stage, the tumour starts to grow and eventually becomes 2-4 cms in size. However, even though a tumour has grown in size, the cancer cells have not spread to the other areas around the mouth and the lymph nodes.

Stage 3: a tumour in the 3rd stage will grow further and measures 4cms or bigger than that. There are chances that it has spread to one lymph node but has not yet reached the other area of the body.

Stage 4: this is the final stage of mouth cancer and the tumour can be of any size. The cancer cells have also spread to different parts of the mouth including the nearby tissues and lymph nodes. It can also spread to other areas of the body as well.

As you can see that the 4 stages have different significance and affect a person variable. There is a 81% survival rate in cases of mouth cancer if it is caught early which is much higher when compared to cancers like pancreatic cancer.

How to Identify Mouth Cancer?
Mouth cancer has a lot of symptoms associated with it. You must immediately visit a cancer specialist when you identify any of these following symptoms which indicate cancer.

The person may receive a sore on their lip or inside the mouth that will not heal easily.
There can be a mass or growth of cells anywhere in the inside of the mouth.
Bleeding from the mouth is a very common symptom.
The person may also lose their appetite.
The person affected may also feel a mild or serious pain when swallowing or chewing.
Once the cancer cells spread to other parts, there can be a lump in the throat.

So as you can see that, mouth cancer is also deadly like other serious cancer like colon cancer. Make sure to take a note of the symptoms and immediately visit a doctor when you identify any of these for proper treatment.

Reference links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_cancer_staging