oral cancer
Meaning of oral cancer: Oral cancer arises in the tissues of the mouth, most often as squamous cell carcinoma linked to tobacco and heavy alcohol use.
Definition of oral cancer
Oral cancer is cancer that forms in the tissues of the oral cavity, including the lips, gums, the front two thirds of the tongue, the inside lining of the cheeks, the floor of the mouth, and the hard palate. Most oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, arising from the flat cells that line the surface of the mouth.
Tobacco use, including smoking and smokeless tobacco, and heavy alcohol consumption are established risk factors for oral cancer, and the combination of both substances together is associated with a greater risk than either one alone.
Oral cancer can present as a persistent mouth sore that does not heal, a lump, or a red or white patch on the lining of the mouth, and diagnosis is confirmed through biopsy of the abnormal tissue. Oral cancer is distinguished from oropharyngeal cancer, which arises farther back in the throat rather than within the mouth itself.
Used in a sentence
A biopsy of the persistent sore on the tongue confirmed a diagnosis of oral cancer.
Good to know
Oral cancer is distinguished from oropharyngeal cancer mainly by location, since oral cancer arises within the mouth itself while oropharyngeal cancer arises farther back in the throat, and the two have somewhat different risk factors.
Word origin
Where “oral cancer” comes from
Formed from Latin os, oris, meaning mouth, combined with cancer, from Latin cancer, meaning crab.