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Oral cancer and mouth cancer symptoms include:

• Growth, sore, or lesion in your mouth or on your lip (the sore might bleed and doesn’t heal)
• Lump or thickened area on your lips or in your mouth, gums, or cheek
• Numbness or pain on your tongue or other areas of your lips or mouth
• Red or white patch on the lining of your mouth or on your gums, tongue, or tonsils
• Sore throat or the feeling that something is caught in your throat
• Swelling in your jaw that makes your teeth loose or your dentures fit poorly
• Unexplained dry mouth, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), or difficulty chewing, speaking, or moving your jaw or tongue
• Voice changes, such as hoarseness
• Ear pain

Risk factors increase the chance of developing certain cancers. Men are about twice as likely to develop oral cancer. Oral cavity cancer can also result from a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Other risk factors include:

• Smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or marijuana
• Using other tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco and snuff
• Heavy alcohol use
• Long-term exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning beds (for lip cancer)
• Obesity and overweight
• Poor dental habits, such as brushing infrequently
• Vitamin deficiencies and poor nutrition

People with certain genetic disorders have an increased risk of developing cancer of the head and neck. These disorders include Fanconi anemia, which causes blood problems, and dyskeratosis congenita, which causes skin problems. Talk to your doctor about oral cancer screening if you have one of these disorders.

More than 90% of all oral cavity tumors are squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cells make up the lining of the oral cavity, also called the mucosa. Other less common types of oral cancer include:

• Tumors of the salivary glands, including adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and otherÌýsalivary gland cancers
• Sarcoma (a tumor that develops in soft tissues and bones) of the jaw and maxilla

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ use a process called staging to determine how far the cancer has spread. Staging also helps doctors plan treatment. When determining the stage, doctors look at many factors, including:

• Size of the main tumor and whether it has spread to other parts of the mouth, throat, or neck
• Whether cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, and if so, which ones
• Whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body or distant organs

Staging for oral cancer can be complicated. Your doctor will explain the staging process and details about the stage and type of cancer you have.

Imaging tests provide detailed pictures of the inside of your body. Your doctor may order several imaging tests that use various technologies, such as:

• CT scan: This test uses special X-ray and computer equipment to create images of bones, tissues, and organs.
• MRI: An MRI uses powerful magnets, radio waves, and a computer to create pictures.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/CT scan: A PET scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging that measures cell activity in the body. You receive a small amount of a tracer, a radioactive substance that travels through your body. The tracer detects areas of increased cell activity, called hot spots. These hot spots show up brighter on the scan, which typically indicate cancerous cells. The PET/CT combination provides more accurate diagnoses than the two scans performed separately.
• Barium swallow: Your doctor gives you a safe, drinkable liquid called barium. When you drink it, the barium coats the inside of organs in your digestive system and helps the organs show up on an X-ray. A barium swallow can detect swallowing problems. It can also help doctors diagnose esophageal cancer, which can sometimes occur along with oral cancer.
• Panorex and chest X-ray: X-rays use safe levels of radiation to take pictures of structures inside the body. Panorex imaging takes pictures of your teeth and jawbones. A chest X-ray looks at your heart, lungs, and bones in your chest. ÌýYour doctor might recommend a chest X-ray to see if oral cancer has spread to the lungs.Ìý

If imaging tests suggest you haveÌýoral cancer, your doctor may order a biopsy. During this test, your doctor removes a tiny sample of cells from a specific area. The doctor sends the cells to a lab to check for cancer. We use several types of biopsies, including:

• Needle biopsy:ÌýYour doctor inserts a very thin needle (fine needle aspiration) or a wider needle (core biopsy) into a tumor. They remove a sample of cells through the needle.
• Image-guided biopsy:ÌýA radiologist uses an imaging technique such as ultrasound or MRI to guide the needle for the biopsy.
• Surgical (or excisional) biopsy:ÌýYour surgeon may remove all or part of a tumor to be tested.

Your doctor may recommend endoscopy to see if oral cancer has spread to the throat. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ use endoscopy to view inside your throat, check for signs of cancer, or remove tissues for a biopsy. During an endoscopy procedure, your doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube down your nose or throat. The tube has a camera and tiny tools.

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Your doctor may recommend blood work and other lab tests. We take small samples of your blood and test them in a lab. Blood test results give us information about your health and help us monitor any side effects of treatment.