I. While we are in class today, 6 people will die from oral cancer. Three out of the four are men between the ages of 25 and 55. Before being diagnosed, these individuals probable ate a good diet and exercised regularly. Most did not use tobacco products and seldom drank alcohol. II. Oral cancers have been on the rise over the last decade with the amount of cases doubling in the United States alone. It has catapulted oral cancer from 11th on the overall number of cancer cases to number 5. Smoking and drinking have always been the primary causative agents in oral cancers. III.
You may be thinking to yourselves, I don’t drink or smoke so why does this matter to me? That was my thought when my uncle was diagnosed with oral cancer in the end of 2008. Two months later when my step dad was diagnosed, I looked into oral cancer a little bit more but figured he was a truck driver before he met my mom, he probably lived a hard life. It was a real hard time for my mom and I felt sorry for her having to go through what she did with him while he was getting treated. I went to visit him the day after his last radiation treatment and cried when I saw how much the treatment had taken from him.
The doctors had told them in the beginning that they were going to take a seemingly healthy man to the very brink of death where they would hold him for about 12-14 days and then slowly bring him back and they weren’t kidding. The week following my visit, my husband was diagnosed with the same cancer and I became an oral cancer advocate. Good thing I did because I have had 2 uncles, a brother in law, and two close friends that have suffered the same fate. IV. There is a pandemic in regards to the number of new cases of oral cancer occurring annually.
The number of smokers has decreased dramatically over the last 10 years but the number of cases of oral cancer diagnosed annually has gone from 300,000 cases to 650,000 cases annually. The new cases of oral cancer are changing the demographics seen in the past with oral cancers. Most cases are caused by the HPV virus and are tied directly to lifestyle choices and if caught in its early stages, have improved rates of survivability. TRANSITION So what does the typical person that is diagnosed with oral cancer look like? To answer that, an understanding of oral cancer is needed. Start powerpoint BODY I.
Oral Cancer is a cancer of the mouth or oral cavity. A. It can involve the lips, inside lining of the lips and cheeks, teeth, gums, hard palate, and front two thirds of the tongue. 1. Oropharyngeal cancer is a subgroup of cancers of the oral cavity 2. These cancers affect the base of the tongue, soft palette, tonsils, and the back wall of the throat B. Oral cancer can cause problems with everyday living. 1. Breathing, talking, eating, chewing, swallowing and salivary functions are a few functions that oral cancers can affect 2. My husband has no functioning salivary glands and lost all of his teeth.
C. What causes oral cancers and who is at risk? 1. Tobacco, alcohol, exposure to ultraviolent radiation, and poor diet are contributors to oral cancer 2. Oral cancers are usually found in men during their 6th and 7th decade of life (TRANSITION: But over the last decade, the demographic of oral cancer has changed. II. This is because the number one cause for oral cancers is no longer from smoking and alcohol but from the human papilloma virus. A. HPV is responsible for over 90% of all cervical cancers in women and has been proven to cause oral cancers, lung cancer, skin cancer, and genital cancers a.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease and affects over 50% of the adult population. b. 80% of all women by the age of 50 have HPV B. HPV has over 100 different strains with only a handful that cause cancer a. The virus attaches itself to any available warm and moist area and can begin multiplying or lie dormant b. A person can test positive for HPV but be asymptomatic. C. The virus is transmitted through oral or genital sex or even by French kissing. a. The rise in oral cancer cases is being described as a pandemic in young adults.
(TRANSITION: So what does all this information mean to you and me? III. The rise in the number of cases of oral cancer are being diagnosed in young adults and can are directly related to lifestyle choices. A. Oral sex is the primary means of transmission of the virus a. Teenagers and young adults view oral sex as safe sex b. It is viewed as way to prevent pregnancy and is thought to have a lesser chance of the spread of STD’s B. The number of partners in a lifetime raises your chances of developing oral cancer a. 1-5 partners doubles the chances of contracting oral cancer b. 6-25 partners increases risk 250%.
c. 26 or more partners increases risk 750% C. The demographic of oral cancer today a. 3 in 4 cases is diagnosed in men between ages 22-55 b. Most have never smoked and do not abuse alcohol. c. They have healthy diets and exercise d. Most are unaware of the dangers caused by HPV Transition: This lack of awareness is the primary cause of death from oral cancer. IV. Early detection of oral cancer improves the chances of survivability. A. The rates of survivability of oral cancer are a little over 50% at five years; 40% at ten 1. These odds increase to 85% if caused by the HPV virus 2.
Survivability depends on the stage of the cancer at diagnosis B. Oral cancers are rarely caught in their early stages 1. Oral cancer presents few symptoms at onset 2. Most are not diagnosed until stage 3 or later C. Dental checkups are the first line of defense 1. Dentists can perform a brush test to screen D. Signs and symptoms of oral cancer 1. Early stages can include sore that resembles an ulcer in the mouth that does not heal in 14 days, persistent pain in the oral cavity, lump or thickening in the cheek, white or red patches on gums, tongue, or tonsil, persistent sore throat.
2. Symptoms found in later stages include voice changes, swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck, weight loss, persistent bad breath, loosening of the teeth and difficulty chewing, swallowing or moving jaw or tongue (TRANSITION: See your doctor is you notice any of these signs. CONCLUSION : The lack of knowledge surrounding the threat of oral cancer from the HPV virus is the main reason so many young people are dying from this cancer. Luckily all my family members that were diagnosed are still alive but I have lost a friend to oral cancer.
I. Oral cancers have increased 250% since 1997 and young adults are a large portion of those cases. Lifestyle choices, primarily the practice of oral sex with several different partners, is the main contributor to the increase of these types of cancers. When caught early enough, survivability increases. II. The CDC has been aware of the connection between cancer and HPV but has been slow on reacting. This cancer can actually be prevented. I will discuss the reasoning behind the blatant disregard for human life in next week’s speech.