National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Oral Cancer is the National Cancer Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Oral Cancer
Oral cancer can form in any part of the mouth or throat. Most oral cancers begin in the tongue and in the floor of the mouth. Anyone can get oral cancer, but the risk is higher if you are male, over age 40, use tobacco or alcohol or have a history of head or neck cancer. Frequent sun exposure is also a risk for lip cancer.
Symptoms of oral cancer include
- White or red patches in your mouth
- A mouth sore that won't heal
- Bleeding in your mouth
- Loose teeth
- Problems or pain with swallowing
- A lump in your neck
- An earache
Oral cancer treatments may include surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Some patients have a combination of treatments.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
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Start Here
- Oral Cancer(American Cancer Society) - PDF
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Oral Cancer(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
- PDF
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What You Need to Know about Oral Cancer(National Cancer Institute)
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Detailed Guide: Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer(American Cancer Society)
- Also available in Spanish
- Mouth Cancer(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Oral Cancer Facts(Oral Cancer Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Latest News
- New Gene Test Predicts Whose Mouth Lesions Might Be Cancerous(10/09/2012, HealthDay)
- Scientists ID Cancer-Causing Agent in Smokeless Tobacco(08/22/2012, HealthDay)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
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Oral Cancer Exam(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
- Panoramic Dental X-ray(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Also available in Spanish
- Precancerous Changes in the Mouth(Merck & Co., Inc.)
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Oral Cancer Exam
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Treatment
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Head and Neck Radiation Treatment and Your Mouth(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
- Also available in Spanish
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Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment (PDQ)(National Cancer Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer: Treatment Options by Stage(American Cancer Society)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Head and Neck Radiation Treatment and Your Mouth
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Prevention/Screening
- Oral Cancer(American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)
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Oral Cancer (PDQ): Prevention(National Cancer Institute)
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Oral Cancer (PDQ): Screening(National Cancer Institute)
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Nutrition
- Mouth or Throat Pain or Sores(American Cancer Society)
- Return to top
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
- Oral Cancer(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
- Return to top
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Specific Conditions
- Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
- Head and Neck Cancer Squamous Cell Carcinoma/Lip and Oral Cavity(College of American Pathologists) - PDF
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Related Issues
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Are You at Risk for Oral Cancer? What African American Men Need to Know(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
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Cigar Smoking and Cancer(National Cancer Institute)
- Difficulty Chewing(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
- Mouth Sores(American Cancer Society)
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Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer(National Cancer Institute)
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Are You at Risk for Oral Cancer? What African American Men Need to Know
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Videos
- Catching a Killer: What You Should Know about Oral Cancer(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine)
- Oral Cancer Removal and Palate Reconstruction(OR-Live) - Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, 5/16/2006
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Oral Cancer: What African American Men Need to Know(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Esophagus(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Throat Anatomy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Mouth Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Tongue Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Mouth Neoplasms
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Research
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Oral Cancer(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
- Study Shows Dramatic Rise in Oral (Oropharyngeal) Cancer Linked to HPV(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
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Oral Cancer
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
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Dictionary of Cancer Terms(National Cancer Institute)
- Return to top
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Dictionary of Cancer Terms
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Directories
- Find an Oncologist(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
- Find an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon(American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)
- Find an Otolaryngologist (ENT)(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
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Organizations
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Statistics
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Cancer of the Oral Cavity and Pharynx(National Cancer Institute)
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Cancer of the Tongue(National Cancer Institute)
- What Are the Key Statistics about Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers?(American Cancer Society)
- Also available in Spanish
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Cancer of the Oral Cavity and Pharynx
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Patient Handouts
- After chemotherapy - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
- Leukoplakia
- Also available in Spanish
- Mouth and neck radiation - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
- Oral cancer
- Also available in Spanish
- Oropharynx lesion biopsy
- Also available in Spanish
- Swallowing problems
- Also available in Spanish
- Tongue biopsy
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
- Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
- Russian (Русский)
- Spanish (español)
- Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Oral Cancer - Multiple Languages
