Jaw Cancer is an unpleasant and dangerous disease.which requires early treatment. Statistics show that 15% of all visits 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. Jaw cancer develops in both the elderly and infants. Treatment of the disease in this case has many difficulties, since large vessels and nerves are located in this zone. For each patient requires an individual approach.
Why there is a disease
Cancer cells usually develop from spongysubstances of the bone marrow, periosteum, neurogenic cells, blood vessels and odontogenic structures. The causes of this disease are not yet fully understood. However, experts have identified several major factors that cause cancer of the jaw:
- Chronic injury. This includes a bruise, an improperly installed crown, a filling, as well as a prosthesis that causes permanent rubbing of the gums.
- Damage to the oral mucosa.
- Inflammatory process.
- Smoking.
- Ionizing radiation.
Jaw Cancer: Symptoms
How to recognize the disease? At the initial stage, the cancer proceeds without any signs. The first symptoms are:
- Numbness of the skin of the face.
- Bad breath, as well as purulent discharge from the nose.
- Headache.
- Pain in the lower or upper jaw for no apparent reason.
Similar symptoms may be signs and otherailments, such as neuritis, sinusitis, antritis, and so on. For accurate diagnosis, the patient must undergo an additional examination. In many cases, the possibility of timely cancer therapy is lost.
Other signs
In sarcoma of the upper jaw, other symptoms gradually appear. Patients start complaining about:
- Swelling in the cheek area.
- Pain or numbness in the teeth located in the immediate vicinity of the neoplasm.
- The loosening of the teeth is a sign of osteoporosis.
- The increase in alveolar processes.
- Curvature of the jaw and deformation of the face.
Рак челюсти, симптомы которого описаны выше, can progress very quickly. As a result of the development of cancer cells, tissue swelling often occurs, which ultimately leads to asymmetry. After that, 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 effects:
- The displacement of the eyeball.
- Tearing.
- Pathological fracture in the jaw area.
- Nosebleeds, recurring without any particular reason.
- Headache, extending to the frontal or in the temples.
- Pain in the ear. This phenomenon occurs after the involvement of the trigeminal nerve.
In addition to the above, the patient maythere are small bleeding ulcerations, localized on the mucous membrane of the mouth, gums, cheeks and other soft tissues. Often there is a violation of the opening and closing of the jaws. This makes it difficult to eat. A similar phenomenon indicates that the cancer has spread to the masticatory and pterygoid muscle.
Symptoms in cancer of the lower jaw
Cancer of the lower jaw is characterized by several other signs. This should include:
- Pain on palpation.
- Loss and shakiness of teeth.
- Discomfort and pain when in contact with teeth.
- Unpleasant smell from the mouth.
- Bleeding ulcers on the oral mucosa.
- Numbness of the lower lip.
It is worth noting that a cancer tumor located in the lower jaw develops rather quickly and is accompanied by pain syndrome and rapid metastasis.
Diagnosis of pathology
Cancer of the jaw early to diagnosevery difficult due to non-specific symptoms. After all, the signs of the disease can be attributed to other ailments. Diagnosis of 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.
To identify the disease allows x-rays.If cancer tumors originate precisely from odontogenic material, then such an examination provides much more information than other methods. Due to the X-ray diffraction, it is possible to identify the destruction of the septum and the expansion of the periodontal crevices.
Pictures provide an opportunity to see any changes:healthy teeth are not in contact with the bone, the alveolar region has fuzzy contours, the decalcification zone has spread to the body of the jaw, and so on.
Determine the disease by X-ray
So, how can you detect cancer of the jaw on a radiograph? The diagnosis of this disease is a complex process. X-rays can determine the presence of pathology in the following ways:
- Bone destruction
- The destruction of the loops of the spongy substance.
- The blurred contours of the transitions of healthy bones in the area of destruction.
- Interlacing stripes formed by the merger of several foci of destruction.
Other diagnostic methods
In addition to x-rays, cancer of the jaw, a photo of whichpresented above, can be diagnosed in other ways. The patient must undergo a full clinical examination, including blood and urine tests, fluorography of the respiratory system. These studies reveal the presence of inflammation in the body, the acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, as well as anemia. To exclude metastases requires examination of the lungs.
Often, for the diagnosis of jaw cancer is usedsinus computed tomography method. This allows you to determine the exact location of cancer tumors. In addition, tomography and scintigraphy are used. The specialist may order such an examination as a puncture biopsy of the lymph node. This method allows you to define metastasis.
The most accurate way to diagnose is research inlaboratory conditions of affected tissue. In some cases, trepanation of the jaw is required. If the tumor does not originate from the bone, then the material can be taken from the hole formed after the extraction of the tooth.
Cancer of the jaw: treatment
Терапия патологи является комплексной.It includes not only surgery, but gamma therapy. An operation to remove the jaw. This may be exarticulation or resection. Cancer of the jaw is not treated with chemotherapy, as it does not result.
To start the patient is subjected to gamma investment.It allows you to significantly reduce the size of cancer. Three weeks later, the jaw is removed. In some cases, a more extensive operation is required, which often includes an orbit ekstrentation, lymphadenectomy, and sanitizing sinuses.
After operation
A few years after the surgery requiresorthopedic correction, which allows you to hide all defects. It is usually carried out using various bone plates and tires. Such procedures require patience from 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- This is a very complex process that does not always end successfully. In such situations, stainless steel, tantalum, plastic are often used to fix the implants.
Forecast
Can jaw cancer come back?The prognosis in this case is disappointing, since relapse can occur within a few years after surgery. Five-year survival with this pathology is no more than 30%. When oncology is detected in the later stages, this indicator is significantly reduced. The percentage of five-year survival in this case is not more than 20%.
