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Verrucous Carcinoma: A Slow-Growing But Serious Cancer Type
By Raveena M Prakash
Verrucous carcinoma is a rare cancer that is slow-growing in nature but is a serious type of cancer. These cancers rarely spread to distant organs, yet they can still cause serious health concerns if not detected or treated in time. Its slow progression and wart-like appearance are often overlooked and mistaken for a less serious health concern. A delay in cancer diagnosis and its treatments might allow the tumors to grow extensively and damage the surrounding healthy tissues.
In this blog, we’ll discover more about how these conditions are essential for early diagnosis and effective cancer treatments and lead to better treatment outcomes.
What Is Verrucous Carcinoma?
Verrucous carcinoma is a rare type of cancer, classified in the category of squamous cell carcinoma. The squamous cells are found in many tissues in the body, including the lining of the mouth, throat, and the surface of the skin.
Verrucous carcinoma (VC) are known for their less aggressive nature and are mostly locally invasive. These cancers can penetrate deeply into the nearby tissues such as skin, muscle, and bone if left untreated. In patients, over time these local destructions can lead to significant functional and cosmetic problems.
What are the causes and risk factors
The main cause of verrucous carcinoma is not always known, but cancer research has identified several factors that increase the risk of developing this condition.
- The use of tobacco products
- Smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff
- Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, especially specific strains
- Chronic irritation, such as poorly fitting dentures or repeated friction
- Poor oral hygiene
- An excessive alcohol consumption, especially when combined with tobacco products
- Weak immune system due to illness or medications
- People facing chronic inflammation or infection
- A long term exposure to these factors can often leads to an abnormal cell growth and eventually cancer formation
Signs and symptoms to watch out
The most concerning aspect of verrucous carcinoma is how easily it can be mistaken for a benign condition. These cancers are often painless in their early stages, which leads many individuals to delay seeking medical evaluation.
Common signs and symptoms include:
- A slow-growing, thick, wart-like mass
- A lesion that appears white, grey, or flesh-colored
- Hardening or thickening of the affected tissue
- Foul odor or discharge, especially in oral lesions
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking, or breathing
- Bleeding or ulceration in advanced stages
- A constant lesion that does not heal over weeks or months
- Any growth that continues to enlarge or fails to resolve should be medically evaluated by a healthcare provider.
How Verrucous Carcinoma is diagnosed
These cancers are slow growing but serious types of cancer, an accurate cancer diagnosis is essential, as this cancer might require different types of treatment other than cancers or benign warts.
The cancer diagnosis typically includes:
- Physical examination: A healthcare provider will examine the suspected patients and ask about their symptoms. In some cases, doctors might suspect these cancers in a patient’s mouth if they have constant sores in their mouth, feet, or genitals. They will ask about the medical history and whether you use tobacco products.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is often recommended by a healthcare provider to confirm the diagnosis in patients. During this procedure, they will take a sample tissue and test it for cancer cells.
- Imaging tests: Many healthcare providers will need more tests to see whether the cancer has grown into any nearby surrounding tissues. Some of these may include CT scan and MRIs.
For getting an accurate diagnosis, your healthcare provider might perform multiple or deep biopsies. In some cases, superficial samples can sometimes miss the cancerous tissues.
Treatments
The standard treatment for these cancers is surgical excision. A surgical oncologist will remove the tumor completely by performing surgery with clear margins and provides the highest chance of survival and cure for patients.
Other effective cancer treatments may include:
- Mohs micrographic surgery: These treatments are effectively used to treat skin lesions, to preserve the healthy tissues.
- Laser surgery: These surgical procedures are used to treat selected tumors.
- Reconstructive surgery: These surgeries are performed when there is a need to remove large areas in the patient’s body.
- Radiation therapy: In some cases, radiation therapy is needed when the tumor is big, that surgery would damage a lot of nearby healthy tissues. Your healthcare provider might suggest radiation therapy after performing the surgery.
- Chemotherapy: In some cases, patients might get chemotherapy with or without radiation. Chemotherapy helps to relieve the symptoms if the cancer is too advanced for surgery to help.
Prevention and risk reduction
While not all types of cancer cases can be prevented, there are certain steps used to reduce the risk in people significantly.
These may Including:
- Avoid tobacco products in all forms
- Limit an excessive alcohol consumption
- Maintain good oral hygiene
- Practice regular dental check-ups
- Address and consult doctor any constant irritation
- Practice safe sexual activity and behaviors to reduce the HPV risk
- Get an immediate medical advice for any constant skin or mucosal lesion
Early medical evaluation is one of the most effective preventive strategies to stop a tumor’s growth in the beginning. Early detection saves lives. If you experience any of these symptoms, consult a healthcare provider immediately.
Consult Today
Verrucous carcinoma may be a slow-growing type of cancer, but it should never be underestimated. These types of tumors are painless in nature which often delays the cancer diagnosis, this allows the tumor to grow and cause unnecessary damage to the patient’s body. Awareness about this cancer in patients, dentists and healthcare providers is crucial for early diagnosis and starting timely cancer treatments.
At Oncare, we offer premium-quality cancer treatments, including advanced cancer surgeries, at an affordable price range with an experienced cancer specialist consultation.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with Cancer, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our experienced cancer specialist today! Get an estimated cost of your cancer treatments today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Surgery is one of the common treatments used to treat this cancer. Other treatment options may include radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
These cancers develop when squamous cells grow in ways that are not considered normal. While people with a close exposure to cancer causing agents play a role in developing this condition.
The symptoms of verrucous carcinoma grow slowly; these may include a sore, reddish or white patches in the mouth, or a wart-like mass in the mouth, genitals, or feet. Patients experiencing bad breath, pain at the site of the lesion, and difficulty in chewing or swallowing.
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