Mouth cancer comes into being when cells present on the lips or inside the mouth undergo mutations in their constituent DNA. The DNA of a cell instructs the cell on what to do. The changes due to mutation dictate the cells to keep on with their growth and division even when normal, healthy cells would die. Over time, according to an oncologist from a cancer hospital in India, the accumulation of atypical mouth cancer cells develops into a tumor. Gradually, the tumor may start spreading in the interior of the mouth and to several other areas of the head and neck.

• Most often, mouth cancers are set off in the thin, flat squamous cells that comprise the lining of your lips and the interior of your mouth.

• The majority of oral cancer that calls for mouth and throat cancer treatment are generally squamous cell carcinomas.

• It isn't very clear as to what exactly leads to mutations in the squamous cells that result in mouth cancer.

• However, doctors have been able to identify certain factors that cause amplification of the risk of mouth cancer.

Treatment
• As per an oncologist from the best mouth cancer hospital in India, the treatment aimed at curing mouth cancer is contingent on the location and stage of cancer, the patient's overall health, and personal preferences.

• As a matter of fact, you may need only one type of treatment or be in want of undergoing a combination of different cancer treatments.

• It’s imperative that you discuss the treatment options with your doctor.
• Here we talk about two distinctive therapies other than the more conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for cancer.

1. Targeted drug therapy
• With the help of targeted drugs, it's possible to bring about the treatment of mouth cancer by prompting changes in specific aspects of the cancerous cells that propel the growth of the tumor.

• Note that the use of targeted drugs can be done solely or by combining them with drugs of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

• Cetuximab (Erbitux) is one such drug that's used in targeted therapy for treating mouth cancer in particular situations.

• The drug helps put a stop to the activity of a protein found in several types of healthy cells even though it's found to be more prevalent in a few specific types of cancer cells.

• The side effects of this drug include headache, infections, skin rashes, itching, and diarrhea.

• You may benefit from other targeted drugs as well when standard treatments prove ineffective.

2. Immunotherapy

• Immunotherapy makes use of your body's immune system to wage war against cancer cells.
• Usually, the disease-fighting immune system of your body may not drive an assault on the cancer cells since they keep producing proteins that camouflage and make the cells of the immune system ineffective.
• The process of immunotherapy works by getting in the way of the usual process.

• In general, immunotherapy treatments are reserved for patients suffering from advanced stages of mouth cancer that falls short of acting in response to standard methods of treatment.

At Paras, one of the leading cancer hospitals in India, care meant for people struck down with mouth cancer is managed by surgeons having specialization in cancers of the head and neck regions, called head and neck oncologic surgeons. They coordinate to form a multidisciplinary team with oral and maxillofacial surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists specializing in mouth and jaw surgeries and ear, nose, and throat surgeries respectively. The care team also takes in experts from the domain of medical and radiation oncology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and rehabilitation therapies.