Palatal cancer – What you should consider

What is palatal cancer?

Palatal cancer is clinically one of the tumors of the oral cavity, also known as oral cavity carcinomas. In Germany about 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity and throat every year. This makes cancer of the oral cavity and throat the 7th most common cancer in Germany.

Men are affected about twice as often as women. There are several known risk factors for the development of carcinomas of the oral cavity and throat. The peak of the disease is between the ages of 55 and 65 for men and between the ages of 50 and 75 for women.

How do I recognize a palatal cancer?

Signs of cancer of the oral cavity or palate are changes in the area of the oral mucosa. These can be hardening or discoloration of the mucosa as well as mucous membrane proliferations. Often the beginning of a cancer disease in the oral cavity is a certain precancerous stage (precancerosis) which is called leukoplakia in medical jargon.

These are whitish greyish spots or coatings in the area of the oral mucosa that cannot be wiped off. It is important to know that the initial changes that may indicate the development of cancer are painless in most cases. That is why they are often not even noticed by those affected at first.

Newly formed, slightly bleeding mucous membrane areas in the mouth area, swelling, a foreign body sensation in the mouth area, swallowing difficulties, significantly increased bad breath and pain in the oral cavity are also signs of cancer. If one of these signs occurs, the treating physician should be consulted promptly. You hear the term leukoplakia for the first time and cannot associate anything with it? Leukoplakia is very important in the case of cancer of the palate.

Accompanying symptoms of palatal cancer

In addition to the above mentioned possible changes in the area of the oral cavity, which can be an indication of cancer or a precancerous stage, there are other symptoms that can be an indication of the presence of palatal cancer. However, many of these symptoms are unspecific. This means that they can also occur in many other – sometimes completely harmless – diseases.

These include swelling of the lymph nodes in the area of the neck, behind the ears or above the collarbone, increased tiredness, loss of appetite, worsening of the general condition with feelings of listlessness, weight loss, increased night sweats and pain in the head and neck area. Pain is a symptom that usually appears only in advanced stages of the disease. Symptoms such as swallowing disorders or speech disorders are also usually only present in later stages. If one of the symptoms mentioned above occurs and persists for a longer period of time, the treating physician should be consulted. This doctor can decide on the necessary further diagnostics and, if necessary, refer you to a specialist (ear, nose and throat specialist).