Gum Cancer: Another Tobacco Sin

A 74 year-old woman was brought to me for consult because of a mass in the left lower posterior gums. A previous doctor already did a biopsy and it turned out to be a well-differentiated squamous cell cancer. She was advised surgery, hence the consult with me.

Upon seeing the lesion, I could only think of one probable risk factor, which was later confirmed by the woman, smoking! She was, and still is, a cigarette smoker.

Indeed, tobacco never fails to put one life in jeopardy. Its sins are recurrent and unstoppable. Aside from the other body cancers that it brings, it is one of the most important oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer risk factors. Approximately 90% of people with mouth cancer are tobacco users. Smokers are 6 times more likely than nonsmokers to develop mouth cancer. Users of smokeless tobacco have a 50 times more likely chance of developing mouth cancer. Statistics show only 6% of head and neck cancer recurrence in patients who stop smoking in contrast to 37% of head and neck cancer patients who continue smoking developing a second cancer.

People who stop using tobacco, even after many years of use, can greatly reduce their risk of all smoking related illnesses, including mouth cancer.

One of the best preventive measures to take is to kick the tobacco habit. It’s hard but it has to be done. Or else, you may suffer the same fate as this poor old woman!

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