Do people with oral cancer experience weight loss?

Written by Wang Ji Zhong
Internal Medicine
Updated on September 06, 2024
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Oral cancer is a serious threat to human life among oral diseases, and its early symptoms are not particularly obvious, so it is necessary to remind people to pay attention. In addition to some local ulcers, patients with oral cancer have neoplastic cancer tissue growing at the ulcer base. The cancer tissue will develop and damage the masseter and chewing muscles, and it will also cause dysphagia and speech disorders, as well as lead to lymph node metastasis. As cancer cells grow and develop rapidly, they consume a large amount of the body's energy, so patients with oral cancer will experience significant weight loss in the later stages. At this time, in addition to cancer treatment, supportive symptomatic treatment is also needed to enhance the body's resistance.

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Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
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What foods are good to eat for oral cancer?

Patients with oral cancer should pay special attention to their diet to ensure they are providing their body with added nutrition. Consuming milk, chicken soup, fish soup, and porridge can help supplement nutrients. Additionally, consuming more vitamins by eating fruits and vegetables can enhance the patient's resistance. If the diet is further complemented with high-protein, high-vitamin, high-calorie, and low-fat foods, it can facilitate a quicker recovery. During the treatment of oral cancer, besides taking medications, patients should also be mindful of their diet and maintain a positive and optimistic outlook, which can greatly assist in the treatment of the disease.

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Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
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How to stop bleeding from oral cancer?

The symptoms of oral cancer generally include localized ulcers, accompanied by pain, bleeding, and local infection. The tumor itself can cause bleeding symptoms, such as in ulcerative oral cancer, where the ulcer may gradually enlarge and easily cause bleeding during eating. It is recommended that patients undergo localized radiotherapy treatment, primarily aimed at stopping bleeding. Cancer treatment can also be conducted simultaneously, resisting tumor growth, and also helping to stop the bleeding.

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Written by Liu Ping
Oncology
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Can oral cancer be transmitted through kissing?

Can oral cancer be transmitted through kissing? From the perspective of cancer, general contact with bodily fluids and direct contact do not cause transmission. Even if the tumor cells from oral cancer are transmitted through saliva and come into contact with another person's body, if the other person has a normal immune system, this small amount of tumor cells, when contacted via this route, can be eliminated by the immune system. Therefore, transmission of oral cancer through kissing and bodily fluids generally does not occur; what gets transmitted are the bacteria and viruses in the mouth, such as the HPV virus, which may potentially be transmitted through kissing.

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Written by Fang Xiao
Dentistry
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How to determine if it is oral cancer?

To determine if it is oral cancer, one can visit the dentistry department of a formal hospital for an oral examination and a local pathological biopsy. If cancer cells are found, it can be diagnosed as oral cancer. Additionally, CT scans and MRI can be performed to determine the location and size of the lesion. The onset of oral cancer generally starts with oral ulcers. If an oral ulcer persists and does not heal for more than two weeks, and the affected area shows cauliflower-like protrusions, hardening at the base, palpable lymph nodes, pain or exacerbation, and it affects eating and speech causing some obstacles or changes, early surgical treatment should be sought after the detection of oral cancer. Immediate radical surgery should be undertaken. If surgery is not possible, treatment through radiation or chemotherapy to reduce the tumor size before proceeding with surgical excision is recommended.

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Written by Liu Ping
Oncology
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Can oral cancer HPV be detected through testing?

Oral cancer can generally be detected through HPV testing. For tumors in our head and neck regions, it is currently believed that the HPV positivity rate is relatively higher in tumors occurring in the oropharynx and hypopharynx areas. There are several methods for HPV testing: one is testing the HPV virus itself, and another is testing for the P16 protein. Therefore, detection can be carried out through throat swabs, saliva, and bodily fluids, which can identify the virus and determine which types are high-risk and which are subtypes, and then look at the P16 protein to see if there are pathological tissues, detecting the negativity or positivity of this P16 protein through pathological tissues.