3) Red or white patches inside your mouth
A white patch inside the mouth can point towards many things. One of them is leukoplakia, which is a thickened white patch inside the mouth that cannot be scrapped off and designated as any other disease. Smoking is the most common cause of leukoplakia. It is considered the most common pre-cancerous lesion that can eventually develop into squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth.
Around 50% of mouth cancers develop from these pre-cancerous white or red patches. Size and location of the white patch may vary with each patient, but research reveals that prolonged exposure to risk factors plays an important role in developing these lesions. Leukoplakia can be of two types. Homogenous leukoplakia is less dangerous than non-homogenous leukoplakia. It can be diagnosed with a proper oral examination by your dentist or a physician. He may order a biopsy of the lesion for differentiating it from other causes of white patches, e.g. candidiasis and lichen planus. Studies reveal that 10% of leukoplakic lesions develop into squamous cell carcinomas.
Red and velvety patch inside the mouth that cannot be described as any other lesion is called erythroplakia. It is even more dangerous symptom of mouth cancer than leukoplakia. Risk factors of developing erythroplakia lesions are smoking, alcohol, poor oral hygiene, repeated sun exposure and advanced age. Biopsy from the mouth is taken to further evaluate the histological architecture of the lesion. Surgery and radiation are the two possible treatment for this condition. This lesion has the highest percentage of malignant transformation which makes it extremely dangerous warning symptom. Contact your doctor immediately for a checkup in order to prevent further worsening of the symptoms.
