Cancer of the jaw: symptoms, photo, treatment, prognosis

Cancer of the jaw is an unpleasant and dangerous disease that requires prompt therapy. As the statistics show, 15% of all applications to dentistry are associated with various neoplasms originating from bone tissue. Not all of them are caused by the development of cancer cells. Only 1-2% are a sign of oncology. There is no specific age for this ailment. The cancer of the jaw develops both in the elderly and in infants. Treatment of the disease in this case has many difficulties, since in this zone there are large vessels and nerves. Each patient needs an individual approach.

Why does the disease occur?

Cancer cells usually develop from the spongy substance of the bone marrow, periosteum, neurogenic cells, vessels and odontogenic structures. The reasons for the development of this disease to the end has not yet been studied. However, the specialists established several main factors, due to which the jaw cancer develops:

1. Trauma is chronic. This includes a bruise, an improperly installed crown, a seal, and a prosthesis that causes permanent rubbing of the gum.
2. Damage to the oral mucosa.
3. Inflammatory process.
4. Smoking.
5. Ionizing irradiation.

Cancer of the jaw: symptoms

How to recognize the ailment? At the initial stage, the cancer proceeds without any signs. The first symptoms are:

1. Numbness of the skin of the face.
2. Unpleasant odor from the mouth, as well as purulent discharge from the nose.
3. Headache.
4. Pain sensations in the lower or upper jaw region without an obvious cause.

Similar symptoms may be signs of other ailments, for example, neuritis, sinusitis, sinusitis and so on. For an accurate diagnosis, the patient must undergo an additional examination. In many cases, the possibility of timely cancer therapy is lost.

Other signs

With sarcoma of the upper jaw , other symptoms gradually appear. Patients start complaining about:

1. Swelling in the cheek area.
2. Pain or numbness in the teeth located in the immediate vicinity of the neoplasm.
3. Loosening of the teeth, which is a sign of osteoporosis.
4. Increased alveolar processes.
5. Curvature of the jaw and deformation of the face.

The cancer of the jaw, the symptoms of which are described above, can progress very quickly. As a result of the development of cancer cells, there is often edema of the tissues, which ultimately leads to asymmetry. After this, patients begin to complain of severe pain.

Serious consequences

Cancer of the upper jaw usually extends to the eye area. Often tumors begin to germinate and cause the following consequences:

1. Displacement of the eyeball.
2. Lachrymation.
3. Pathological fracture in the jaw area.
4. Nasal bleeding recurring without special reasons.
5. Headache giving to the frontal part or to the whiskey.
6. Pain sensations in the ear region. This phenomenon occurs after involvement in the trigeminal nerve process.

In addition to the above, the patient can have small bleeding ulcers, localized on the mucous membrane of the mouth, gums, cheeks and other soft tissues. Often there is a violation of the opening and closing jaws. This makes eating difficult. A similar phenomenon indicates that the cancer tumor has spread to the chewing and pterygium muscles.

Symptoms of lower jaw cancer

Cancer of the lower jaw is characterized by several other signs. This should include:

1. Pain on palpation.
2. Falling and shaky teeth.
3. Discomfort and pain in contact with teeth.
4. Unpleasant odor from the mouth.
5. Bleeding sores on the oral mucosa.
6. Numbness of lower lip.

It should be noted that the cancerous tumor located in the lower jaw develops rapidly enough and is accompanied by a painful syndrome and rapid metastasis.

Diagnosis of pathology

Early jaw cancer is very difficult to diagnose because of nonspecific symptoms. After all, signs of the disease can be attributed to other ailments. Diagnosis of the same jaw cancer is carried out at the stage of metastases. Many patients are not alarmed by the symptoms described above. In addition, the disease can take a long time without obvious signs. This complicates its diagnosis in the early stages.

It is possible to detect the disease by roentgen. If cancerous growths occur precisely from odontogenic material, then such a survey provides much more information than other methods. Thanks to the roentgenogram, it is possible to detect the destruction of the septa and the widening of the periodontal gaps.

The pictures give an opportunity to see any changes: healthy teeth do not touch the bone, the alveolar edge has fuzzy contours, the decalcification zone has spread to the jaw's body and so on.

Determine the ailment of x-rays

So, how is it possible to identify the cancer of the jaw from the roentgenogram? Diagnosis of this disease is a complex process. X-ray can determine the presence of pathology by the following features:

1. Bone destruction.
2. Destruction of sponges of a spongy substance.
3. Blurred outlines of the transitions of healthy bones in the area of destruction.
4. Intertwining bands formed as a result of the fusion of several foci of destruction.

Other methods of diagnosis

In addition to X-rays, the jaw cancer, the photo of which is presented above, can be diagnosed in other ways. The patient should undergo a complete clinical examination including blood and urine tests, fluorography of the respiratory system. The given researches allow to reveal presence of inflammatory process in an organism, acceleration of speed of a sedimentation of erythrocytes, and also anemia. To exclude metastases, a lung examination is required.

Often, a method of computed tomography of the sinuses of the nose is used to diagnose the jaw cancer . This allows you to determine the exact location of cancer. In addition, tomography and scintigraphy are used. A specialist can prescribe a test such as a puncture biopsy of the lymph node. This method allows you to determine metastasis.

The most accurate method of diagnosis is the study in the laboratory of affected tissues. In some cases, trepanation of the jaw is required. If the tumor does not originate from the bone, the material can be taken from the hole formed after the extraction of the tooth.

Cancer of the jaw: treatment

Therapy pathology is complex. It includes not only surgical intervention, but gamma-therapy. Operations are carried out to remove the jaw. It can be exarticulation or resection. The cancer of the jaw is not treated with chemotherapy, as it does not give a result.

To begin with, the patient is exposed to gamma-induced therapy. It allows you to significantly reduce the size of the cancer neoplasm. After three weeks, the jaw is removed. In some cases, more extensive operation is required, which often involves the exenteration of the orbit, lymphadenectomy and sanation of the paranasal sinuses.

After operation

A few years after the operation, orthopedic correction is required, which allows to hide all the defects. Conduct it, usually with the use of various bone plates and tires. Such procedures require the patience of the patient, as in some cases there is a need to restore swallowing and chewing functions, as well as speech.

It is worth noting that the restoration of the lower jaw is a very complex process, which does not always end successfully. In such situations, stainless steel, tantalum, plastic for fixing implants are often used.

Forecast

Can jaw cancer return? The prognosis in this case is disappointing, since a relapse can occur within a few years after the operation. The five-year survival rate for such pathology is no more than 30%. When detection of oncology at later stages, this indicator is significantly reduced. The percentage of five-year survival in this case is no more than 20%.