Side Effects of Oral Cancer Treatment

Side effects are the undesirable effects in body due to usage of drugs or medical surgeries. Side effects are common in oral cancer treatment as the healthy tissue or cells also affected. Side effects are vary from person to person and type of treatment  given.

Side effects of surgery
Side effects of oral cancer surgery varies depends on the site of surgery. The side effects are

• Pain at the site of surgery due to removal of tissue
• Swelling of face
• If surgery is on tongue or jaw leads to difficulty in eating and talking
• Infection at the site of surgery
• Bleeding from the site of surgery.

Side effects of radiation therapy
Side effects of radiation therapy on oral cavity depends on the amount of radiation given. The more exposure to the radiation, the more will be the side effects.

• Dry mouth is common in radiation therapy. It is due to the permanent damage of salivary glands. Lack of saliva production leads to dental infections like dental decay.

• Sore mouth is painful ulcers on mouth after radiation therapy. Using local anesthetic mouth rinses helps to numb the area or pain killers relieve from pain.

• Gum bleeding can be controlled by maintaining oral hygiene. Avoid tooth picks to control it.

• Delays healing time as radiation therapy makes the tissue hard to heal.

• Restricted jaw movement happens in radiation therapy. It affects the jaw muscle and makes it difficult to open mouth. This can be treated by doing jaw exercises and speech therapy.

• Damage of thyroid and pituitary gland: During radiation therapy, damage of thyroid and pituitary takes place. Lack of thyroid and pituitary hormones leads to gain in weight and tiredness. This can be corrected by medicines.

• Redness of skin at the site of radiation can be treated by maintaining hygiene.

• Tiredness after radiation therapy is seen in many patients.

• Loss of taste sense after radiation therapy on head and neck cancer. A metallic taste in mouth is common and causes lack of apatite.

• Loss of smell sense is due to the radiation on oral cavity, which affects nose. Dryness of nose leads to decrease in the smell sense.

• Voice changes varies depending on the site of area gets affected by radiation. It is temporary and you can regain your voice  after a few days.

Side effects of chemotherapy
Side effects of chemotherapy are same as the radiation therapy like infection, dryness of mouth and bleeding gums. Side effects of chemotherapy depends on the amount of dose taken. Other side effects include:

• Blood cells: Chemotherapy affects bone marrow and decreases the production of blood cells. Due to lack of enough blood cells, poor oxygen supply leads to infections

• Hair loss: Chemotherapy affects hair to become thin. Hair on scalp and eye brows and eye lashes fall down. But this can regain once the treatment is completed.

• Skin: Chemotherapy also affects the skin. The skin becomes dry and sensitive to sun. Rashes and irritation of skin

• Nails: Nails become dry and brittle.

• Digestive system: Chemotherapy affects digestive system and leads to side effects of nausea, vomiting. Some tablets irritates bowl.

• Nerve damage: Chemotherapy damages nerves on hands and legs. This leads to numbness or sharp pain in hand and legs.

• Kidney, liver and lungs: Some chemotherapy drugs alters the functioning of these organs.

Various Signs of Oral Cancer

Improper oral hygiene can lead to dangerous problems like oral cancer. Cancer that occurs on the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, the back of the throat, the tonsils or salivary glands, is referred as oral cancer. Cigarette smoking, chewing tobacco products, heavy alcohol use, and a combination of all these things, are the major risk factors of this cancer. Also, exposure of lips to sun may cause the problem. Even, a family history of cancer causes oral cancer. The risk of oral cancer is found to increase with age. The major issue with this oral health issue is that early signs of the disorder are not identifiable. However, some of the following signs indicate the development of oral cancer.

• Sores on the lip, mouth, throat, or gums which do not heal for a long time
• Lumps or thickening in the cheek which can be felt with the tongue
• White or red patches inside the mouth
• Unexplained pain in mouth
• Loss of sense in any part of the mouth
• Difficulty in chewing and swallowing
• Swelling of jaws leading to improper denture fit
• Ear pain without hearing loss
• Voice change
• Dramatic weight loss

Some of these symptoms may be evident with other dental problems like infection. However, if these signs persist for more than two weeks, then it is better to consult a dentist and get diagnosed for oral cancer. An early identification of the cancer enables treatment at the right time. Quitting unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol abuse prevents the risk of oral cancer.