Mouth cancer: symptoms and causes

Find out about mouth cancer, including the symptoms, causes, tests, treatments, and where to get support.

What is mouth cancer?

Mouth cancer, also called oral cancer, can affect any part of the mouth, including the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks, or lips.
Anyone can get mouth cancer, but the risk increases with age. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 66 and 70.
How serious it is depends on the type of mouth cancer, how big it is, if it has spread, and your general health.

Symptoms of mouth cancer

Main symptoms of mouth cancer

Symptoms of mouth cancer can affect any part of your mouth including the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks, or lips.

Symptoms can include:

a mouth ulcer in your mouth that lasts more than 3 weeks
a red or white patch inside your mouth
a lump inside your mouth or on your lip
pain inside your mouth
difficulty swallowing
difficulty speaking or a hoarse (croaky) voice
a lump in your neck or throat
losing weight without trying

See a GP if:

you have an mouth ulcer that has lasted more than 3 weeks
you have a lump in your mouth, on your lip, on your neck or in your throat
you have a red or white patch in your mouth
you have pain in your mouth that's not going away
you're having difficulty swallowing or speaking
you have a hoarse (croaky) voice that does not go away

A dentist can also help with ulcers, lumps, patches or pain in your mouth.

Important

These symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions.

Having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have mouth cancer, but it's important to get checked by a GP or dentist.

If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.

What happens at your dentist or GP appointment

Your dentist or GP will usually ask questions about your symptoms, lifestyle and any other medical conditions you have.

They will usually look and feel inside your mouth. They may also feel your neck and jaw.

You can ask for someone else to be in the room with you while the dentist or GP examines you.

Referral to a specialist

You may get an urgent referral for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital if the GP thinks you have symptoms that could be cancer. This does not definitely mean you have cancer.

Information for other parts of the UK

The following links have information about mouth cancer for other parts of the UK:

Causes of mouth cancer

Who is more likely to get mouth cancer

It's not always clear what causes mouth cancer.

You may be more likely to get mouth cancer if:

you smoke or chew tobacco, betel nut or paan
you drink a lot of alcohol
you have leukoplakia
you’ve been exposed to a lot of sunlight or sunbeds, which can cause skin cancer affecting the lips
you've had cancer before
you have a weakened immune system, for example, you have HIV or AIDS, or take immunosuppressant medicine

Mouth cancer has also been linked to having changes in your genes and having some types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in your mouth.

How to lower your risk of mouth cancer

You cannot always prevent mouth cancer, but there are things you can do to lower your chance of getting it.

Do

eat a healthy diet, including 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
exercise regularly
try to cut down on alcohol and avoid drinking more than 14 units a week
try to quit smoking
try to quit chewing tobacco, betel nut or paan

It's important to get any symptoms of mouth cancer checked by a doctor or dentist.

Tests and next steps for mouth cancer

Main tests for mouth cancer

If a dentist or GP refers you to a specialist because they think you could have mouth cancer, you’ll have tests to check for cancer.

The main tests for mouth cancer are usually:

removing a small sample of cells from the affected area of your mouth for testing (a biopsy)
an X-ray, ultrasound scan, CT scan or MRI scan

Getting your results

You’ll usually get the results of tests for mouth cancer within 2 weeks.

Try not to worry if your results are taking longer than you expect. It does not mean anything is wrong.

You can call the hospital or your GP if you're worried and they may be able to update you if your results are ready.

A specialist will explain what the results mean and what will happen next. You may want to bring someone with you for support.

If you're told you have mouth cancer

Being told you have mouth cancer can feel overwhelming. You may be feeling anxious about what will happen.

A group of specialists will look after you throughout your diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

This team will include a clinical nurse specialist who will be your main point of contact during and after your treatment. You can ask them any questions you may have.

Next steps

If you've been told you have mouth cancer, you may need more tests which can include:

having a small sample of your lymph glands removed for testing (a biopsy)
a PET scan
blood tests

The results of these tests can show how far the cancer has spread, and if the cancer has been caused by certain changes in your genes.

This will help your specialist team decide what treatment you need.

Treatment for mouth cancer

Main treatments for mouth cancer

The treatment you'll have for mouth cancer depends on:

the size of the cancer
where the cancer is
if it has spread to other parts of your body
if the cancer has certain genetic changes
your age and general health

You may be offered a combination of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted medicines and immunotherapy.

Your specialist treatment team will:

explain the treatments, the benefits and side effects
work with you to make a treatment plan that’s best for you
help you to manage the side effects of treatment

If you have any questions or worries, you can talk to your specialist team.

Surgery

Surgery is usually needed to remove mouth cancer. You may also need to have some of the lymph glands in your neck removed.

Sometimes an area around the cancer may also need to be removed to stop the cancer coming back. This may include part of your tongue or jaw.

If a large part of your jaw or tongue is removed, you may need surgery to rebuild the area using skin or bone from another part of your body (reconstructive surgery).

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses radiation to kill cancer cells.

Radiotherapy is often used to treat mouth cancer. It may be the only treatment you need if your cancer is found early.

You may also have radiotherapy:

after surgery
if you’re unable to have surgery
to ease the symptoms if the cancer has spread

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is medicine that kills cancer cells. It is sometimes given with radiotherapy for mouth cancer.

You may have chemotherapy for mouth cancer:

before or after surgery
if your mouth cancer has come back
if cancer has spread to other parts of your body

Targeted medicines and immunotherapy

Targeted medicines kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy is where medicines are used to help your immune system kill cancer cells.

Targeted medicines or immunotherapy are sometimes used to treat mouth cancer that:

has spread to other parts of the body
has come back after treatment

What happens if you’ve been told your cancer cannot be cured

If you’ve been diagnosed with advanced mouth cancer, it may be hard to treat and not possible to cure.

The aim of treatment will be to slow down the growth and spread of the cancer, to help with the symptoms, and help you live longer.

Finding out the cancer cannot be cured can be very hard news to take in.

You’ll be referred to a team of doctors and nurses called a symptom control team or palliative care team.

They will help you to manage your symptoms and make you feel more comfortable.

The palliative care team can also help you and your loved ones get any other support you need.

Mouth cancer