Malignant formations in the oral cavity cause the patient not only severe discomfort and acute pain syndrome, but also significantly affect his social life. Cancer of the palate in an advanced stage completely changes articulation, which changes speech and prevents normal communication. This type of disease in most cases is detected in men over forty years of age and is the result of metastasis of malignant tumors located in the immediate vicinity of the head and neck.
Main varieties
Medicine divides cancer of the palate depending on its localization, which greatly simplifies the process of diagnosing the lesion and helps to obtain more accurate information about the nature of the tumor. By location, all neoplasms are divided into:
- Cancer of the hard palate. Such a formation of a malignant nature is found on the border of the oral cavity and nasopharynx. A tumor of this type spreads through the bone structures and eventually moves to the mucous membrane.
- Cancer of the soft palate. Oncology is actively developing in the mucous layer and muscles of the oral cavity.
Classification by fabric structure
According to the structure of a malignant neoplasmcharacter is usually divided into three main types:
- Cylindroma (adenocystic carcinoma) begins to form at the border of the glandular tissue. This type of palate cancer develops very quickly, and is also characterized by uncontrolled spread, which leads to a change in the structure of tissue cells. At the same time, metastases spread to neighboring areas in a short time;
- Adenocarcinoma is formed from epithelial cells and can be located on any part of the hard and soft palate.
- Squamous cell carcinoma is a pathology that spreads through the mucous membrane. It is usually detected in neoplasms in the oral cavity of a malignant nature.
Reasons for appearance
Cancer of the palate can occur due to exposure to the human oral cavity of damaging factors, which are commonly referred to:
- The irritating effect of the use of aggressive components that are found in cigarettes, smoking mixtures and alcoholic beverages.
- Regular consumption of hot meals that burn mucous membranes and change the structure of cells.
- Chronic palate injuries from improperly fitted dentures.
- In the presence of leukoplakia or papillomatosis - a precancerous condition of the oral cavity. Formations of this type are malignant, that is, they change to a malignant state (the above factors only push towards such a process).
Cancer of the sky oftentakes the form of a secondary disease. This includes metastases that appear when there are cancer cells in the neck or brain.
Main signs of defeat
At the initial stage, palate cancer does not provoke any special discomfort in the patient, while it quickly flows to a more dangerous form. Sometimes the patient can, with a gentle touch to the palatal area with the tongue, feel a small bump or seal, around which there is a medium-sized roller.
It is in the presence of such an initial symptom of palate cancer that it is important to go to the doctor, otherwise the effect of late diagnosis and treatment will not be high, and the risks of successfully transferring the disease are low.
As the pathology progresses and malignant cells spread, the tumor increases in size, begins to take control of more and more tissues and goes deeper. At the same time, the characteristic symptoms of palate cancer are already beginning to appear in a person. When consulting a doctor, many patients complain about:
- pain in the mouth (they can move to the ear, temples and head);
- discomfort when chewing food - a patient with such a disease becomes difficult to chew and swallow, his speech apparatus suffers greatly;
- a person may constantly feel an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth (this is usually a fetid odor);
- problems with speech - articulation during the spread of a tumor formation is reduced, which results in a changemobility of the tongue, the seal does not allow the air to fully move;
- fatigue, partial or complete lack of appetite, accelerated and causeless weight loss.
When examining the oral cavity on the soft or hard palate, you can notice seals, plaques, as well as sores of various sizes and shapes. When neglected, blood comes out of the latter, and the partition between the nose and throat begins to be severely deformed and collapse. This condition provokes the entry of small pieces of food into the nose while eating, as a result of which the patient's speech becomes more and more difficult to understand.
Below is a photo of palate cancer at an early stage of development. The picture shows obvious changes caused by the pathology.
All signs of cancer of the upper palate and lower palate only become stronger with the spread of the tumor. At the last stage of the development of the disease, the destruction of all tissues in the vicinity of the sky occurs.
Carrying out diagnostic measures
At an early stage of the development of the disease, it will be very difficult to identify it on your own. Only a dentist can accurately diagnose the disease. It is for this reason that you should be examined by this specialist at least several times a year.
At the moment, as a malignant formation in the oral cavity has already spread over a considerable distance, a preliminary diagnosis can be made after a visual examination.
How to confirmhaving a disease? To do this, the attending specialist prescribes a number of diagnostic measures to the patient:
- X-ray helps to identify all pathological changes in bone structures and tissues in the vicinity of the oral cavity.
- A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of tissue for histological analysis. This procedure is important for determining the altered tumor cells, as well as the stage of its development.
- Blood test. This procedure is prescribed to determine the inflammatory process, as well as the symptoms of anemia.
- Radioisotope study, which helps to carefully study the structure of the tumor and its internal structure.
- Ultrasound helps to determine cancer metastases and their distance from organs.
If necessary, the patient is prescribed additional modern examinations designed specifically to detect malignant tumors.
Treatment measures
The sooner the patient begins treatment of the disease, the higher his chance of a favorable outcome and recovery without complications. The choice of a method for treating a neoplasm will directly depend on the stage of its development, as well as the area of its distribution.
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery
Radiotherapy is the irradiation of a neoplasm with x-rays. This type of therapy helps to stop the spread of malignant cells. If you start treatment at an early stage, then there is a chance to completely get rid of the disease and return to your previous lifestyle, forever.forgetting about the problem. Radiation therapy is most commonly given before and after surgery.
Chemotherapy is a direct effect of cytostatic drugs on mutated cells. They can be injected into the patient's body using droppers or prescribed for oral use. The effect of chemotherapy in the fight against cancer can only be achieved when it is combined with radiation treatment and surgery.
Surgical intervention helps to remove the tumor formation and nearby infected soft tissues, as well as bone structures. Most often, after the removal operation, a visible defect remains on the face. In order to eliminate it, you will have to undergo additional plastic surgery. At a serious stage in the development of the disease, the doctor prescribes a complex treatment, consisting of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
It is imperative not only to treat oral cancer itself, but also to determine metastases. The effect of medical therapy will directly depend on the stage of development of the malignant process in the oral cavity.
Prevention measures and forecasts
If the patient consults a doctor in a timely manner, undergoes appropriate diagnostic measures and the diagnosis is established correctly, the doctor will prescribe an effective and comprehensive treatment regimen that guarantees a complete cure for the disease by 80 percent. When determining a neoplasm at a late stage, in almost 70 percent of patients metastases appear in the first five years after surgery.
Significantly reduce the risk of oral cancer, including the palate, if you lead a he althy lifestyle and give up bad habits: smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages and hot tea. It is better to limit the use of too spicy food, while the food should be fortified and he althy.
It's also important to take care of your he alth through an annual visit to the dentist. This minimizes the risk of cancer.
Throat lesion and its structure
Sometimes from the sky, cancer cells can spread further and affect other organs, in particular the throat. This is a very vulnerable part of the human body. To begin with, it is important to decide how the throat itself is arranged. This is the colloquial name for the front of the neck, which is in front of the spinal column. It is in this area that the paths are located along which oxygen enters the delayed path to the stomach (food moves along the same path).
In this area, the common path for air and food is divided into two separate ones - the esophagus and larynx, which then passes into the trachea. In addition, there are vessels near the throat that supply the brain with blood and important nerve plexuses that lie nearby that affect the functioning of the heart. One of the most important endocrine glands, the thyroid gland, is also located in this area.
The pharynx is the upper part of the throat that is above the larynx. According to the physiological structure, it is divided into three sections. The order from top to bottom is:
- nasopharynx;
- oropharynx;
- larynopharynx.
What types of disease are isolated?
Almost all varieties of larynx cancer are squamous. If we consider morphology, then cancer can be classified into:
- non-keratinizing;
- keratinizing;
- highly differentiated.
Oncology of the non-keratinized type spreads rapidly and forms a huge number of metastases, and also quickly grows deep into adjacent tissues. This type of disease is diagnosed most often.
Usually, a tumor formation is formed in the upper part of the larynx or in the ventricle of the larynx. Often the tumor moves from one part of the larynx to another. Non-keratinizing cancer provokes a decrease in the existing lumen in the larynx, which leads to loss of voice and severe shortness of breath.
In the photo of the initial stage of palate cancer, the first signs of its manifestation are visible.
The second variety is distinguished by its cells, which become keratinized after some time. This type of tumor proceeds slowly in comparison with others. Metastases in the disease almost do not occur. In most cases, the keratinizing type of oncology develops in the area of the vocal cords.
In highly differentiated cancer, the pathological process strongly affects he althy tissues. Treatment of this type of pathology is the longest and most difficult.
Factors leading to the development of the disease are as follows:
- inhaling toxins;
- working with hazardous chemicals (paints, repairs and construction);
- malnutrition, while the food contains too much s alt, not enough vitamins;
- drinking a lot of alcohol;
- not following hygiene rules;
- genetic predisposition;
- development of infectious mononucleosis;
- radiation exposure.
Spread of neoplasm
The disease begins to progress from a small tumor formation, which is localized in the area of the throat, in the layer of epithelium that lines the surface of the pharynx and larynx.
If we talk about a tumor in the pharynx, then most often cancer develops in the nasopharynx. Such localization is considered very dangerous due to the fact that as a result, malignant crusts can germinate into the air cavities of the skull.
Over time, the tumor increases significantly in size and spreads to nearby tissues. The disease can eventually move to the lymph nodes, and also lead to the formation of tumor metastases in other parts of the body. As a result, most patients die from severe bleeding from vessels affected by the neoplasm, or from aspiration of food and blood.
A photo of palate cancer and symptoms that occur at different stages of the progression of the disease is presented below.
Tumor formations can spread to different parts of the larynx - lower (lower vocal cords), middle (in the area of the vocal cords) and upper (above the vocal cords). Plot,located above the vocal cords, is affected in most cases. It is for this place that the rapid development of cancer and the beginning of early metastasis are characteristic.
The ligamentous department suffers from tumors in a third of all cases. Usually, in such a position, the tumor formation develops slowly, which helps to quickly and on time start effective medical therapy.
The subglottic area is not affected so often - only in three percent of cases. Because of this location, cancer is considered very dangerous and has a diffuse type of development.
Of all cases of throat cancer, tumors in the larynx are recorded in 55 percent of all cases, and in the pharynx - in 45.
We examined the features of a very dangerous pathology, its symptoms. Photos of palate cancer were also featured in the article.
