As of: February 16, 2024, 4:48 a.m
By: Natalie Hull-Deichsel
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In some cases, precancerous lesions in the mouth appear as deep-grown carcinomas.
Doctors recommend early surgery.
Small changes in the oral mucosa, which are still limited precancerous lesions (so-called carcinoma in situ), often appear to grow deeper, barely visible from the outside, and have therefore already developed into invasive oral cavity cancer.
This is the result of a study carried out by the
German Cancer Society (DKG)
.
Around 3,740 women and around 9,350 men suffer from malignant tumors of the oral cavity and throat every year in Germany.
Precancerous lesions in the oral cavity pose a danger
Carcinoma in situ, or CIS for short, refers to precancerous lesions that are limited to the tissue of their origin.
In itself, carcinoma in situ does not yet have the ability to form metastases.
However, CIS tumors in the oral cavity could already be malignant cancer that has spread, according to a study by the Northwell Health Cancer Institute at the Zucker School of Medicine, New York.
Note on oral cancer: Surgery makes sense even if there are precancerous lesions
If the diagnosis of “carcinoma in situ” is made as a precancerous condition in the oral cavity, doctors recommend early surgery.
(Symbolic image) © Zoonar.com/Benis Arapovic |
www.shock.co.ba/Imago
As part of the study, 1,458 of the 1,856 adult patients whose biopsy of oral mucosal lesions showed carcinoma in situ were operated on.
In 28 percent of those operated on, the supposed carcinoma in situ turned out to be an invasive tumor, meaning that it had already grown into the surrounding connective tissue.
Many of these patients also had risk characteristics for an unfavorable course of the disease and lymph node involvement.
The study authors, whose findings from the study were published in the journal
JAMA Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery
, therefore recommend early surgery when diagnosing carcinoma in situ in the oral cavity.
In this way, a growing spread of the tumor can be ruled out and long-term survival prospects can be improved.
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Signs of oral cavity cancer: pay attention to the first signs and symptoms
The precancerous stage of oral cavity cancer (carcinoma in situ) can be noticeable through a slightly hardened tissue change (so-called erythroplakia) and reddening of the mucous membrane, which can bleed easily when touched.
The changes are particularly noticeable on the edge of the tongue, the floor of the mouth or the palate.
(Symbolic image) © Fukume/Imago
Tumors in the oral cavity area are noticeable not only as painful but also as painless changes - in the form of swelling, discoloration, long-lasting ulcers - on the mucous membrane.
Depending on their location and size, they can also restrict the mobility of the tongue and cause difficulty swallowing, according to the
DKG
.
Slightly hardened tissue changes and redness of the mucous membrane, which bleeds easily when touched, are also not atypical.
If the symptoms last longer than two weeks, they should be checked by a doctor.
Basically, the earlier a possible tumor is discovered, the better the chances of recovery.
However, the symptoms mentioned do not necessarily have to be associated with malignant cancer.
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