What foods are good to eat for oral cancer?

Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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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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Can oral cancer be detected by a CT scan?

Oral cancer cannot be detected through a CT scan. Oral CT, also known as cone beam CT (CBCT), is referred to by dentists as CBCT. This type of scan is more effective for assessing hard tissues. If one wants to examine soft tissues, the results are not as good. CT scans are only effective for observing the teeth and jawbone within the mouth, and can only identify the presence of a tumor, but cannot differentiate between benign and malignant tumors. Therefore, oral cancer cannot be detected using this method.

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Written by Liu Ping
Oncology
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Can oral cancer ulceration with pus infect others?

Oral cancer ulceration and pus discharge indicate that the tumor cells and cancer cells are locally invasive and infiltrative, which is quite severe. Since the mouth communicates and comes into contact with the external environment, bacterial infection is inevitable. Thus, ulceration often coincides with bacterial infection, leading to inflammation and pus discharge, which can infect others. In terms of infection, bacteria can definitely be transmitted through direct contact and bodily fluid contact. However, it is generally believed that tumor cells are not transmitted to others via direct contact or bodily fluids, considering that a normal person has a functioning immune system capable of recognizing and destroying a small number of tumor cells. Additionally, the likelihood of tumor cells from one person being transmitted to another through bodily fluids is considered very low.

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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.

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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 Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
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Does oral cancer cause an increase in carcinoembryonic antigen?

When oral cancer occurs, there is a possibility that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels may be elevated. Among the current mainstream tumor markers, CEA is the most broadly applicable. Elevated levels of CEA can occur in a variety of tumors. However, an increase in CEA does not necessarily mean that oral cancer is present. Due to the relatively superficial location of the oral cavity, specific physical examinations of the mouth, or direct visualization of the inside of the mouth using auxiliary instruments, can be used to detect lesions associated with oral cancer. Once oral cancer is diagnosed, the primary treatments are surgery and radiotherapy. After surgery and radiotherapy, adjunctive chemotherapy can be used to improve treatment efficacy.