Understanding Dry Mouth Symptoms and Cancer
Posted in oral disease on November 5th, 2010 by adminDry mouth symptoms are often not related to cancer, but in some situations, they can be. The good news is that dry mouth is not an indication that you may have cancer. It cannot cause you to have cancer, either. While that is good news, it is still important to understand what this condition is and how it can be treated. It is just as important to understand how this condition may be related to the cancer you have or may be treating.
How Cancer Causes Dry Mouth Symptoms
In many cases, dry mouth is a side effect of a medication or an underlying condition. This is how it relates to cancer. In short, those who have the condition dry mouth, also known medically as xerostomia, are likely to feel a constant thirst or a dry, cracked mouth and lips. This condition is a side effect often attributed to the treatments used to treat cancer. Consider the follow occurrence of dry mouth in people who are receiving cancer treatment.
• You may experience dry mouth symptoms from the medications used to treat cancer. Specifically, the pain medications, diuretics, pain medications and anti depressants you may be taking may have dry mouth as a side effect.
• Radiation therapy also has dry mouth symptoms as a common side effect. This occurs when the salivary glands are affected by the radiation they are exposed to. If your salivary glands are exposed to radiation, it is quite possible that dry mouth will become a lifelong problem for you. While some function may return over time, it is rare for the salivary glands to completely be restored after exposure.
• Conditions such as a fungal infection in the mouth, like candidiasis or dehydration, can lead to dry mouth symptoms. In this case, it may or may not be associated with your cancer condition.
If you are being treated for cancer or are taking common cancer treatment medications, it is best to consult with your doctor if you begin to experience constant dry mouth symptoms. This is especially necessary in situations where your conditions worsen over time or when they are so severe that the symptoms are causing potential infections from the cracked lips or open sores. In some cases, doctors can offer other medications that do not lead to these painful effects, or may offer a treatment for dry mouth that resolves the problem. Dry mouth symptoms may range from a simple nuisance to a severe problem.