Gum cancer is a rare type of cancer that occurs in your mouth. Early diagnosis is important to treat this cancer, and it may be curable with a combination of surgery and other treatments.

Gum cancer (gingival squamous cell carcinoma) is a rare type of cancer of the oral cavity.

Oral cancers can affect areas throughout your mouth as well as the back of your throat. Gum cancers develop within the tissues of your gums, rather than the lips, inner cheeks, or other parts of your mouth.

As a group, oral cancers make up about 3% of new cancer diagnoses each year. The majority of all gum cancers are squamous cell carcinomas and are considered rare.

The challenging part about gum cancer is that its early symptoms may mimic other diseases of your gums, including gingivitis. However, like other oral cancers, gum cancer is aggressive and tends to spread quickly.

This article reviews possible symptoms and causes of gum cancer, as well as treatment options you can discuss with a doctor.

Possible symptoms of gum cancer may include:

  • bleeding gums
  • pain in your gums, especially while eating or brushing your teeth
  • white or red patches along the gum line
  • unexplained mouth sores
  • poor-fitting dentures due to swelling
  • ear pain

Many of the symptoms of gum cancer are also seen in nonmalignant diseases of the gums and may potentially be ignored or misdiagnosed.

As a general rule, you should see a dentist or healthcare professional if any of the above symptoms last for longer than 2 weeks.

What to know about the stages of gum cancer

When gum cancer is caught in its earliest stages, it’s known as carcinoma in situ. Carcinoma in situ affects the outer layers (epithelium) of your gum tissues only. Cancers that have metastasized beyond the epithelium to deeper tissues may be classified as invasive squamous cell cancer.

While most cases of gum cancer are fast-growing squamous cell carcinomas, there’s also a rarer, slower-growing type called verrucous carcinoma. This type also has a lower chance of metastasis.

Another possibility is having gray or white lesions (leukoplakia) or red lesions (erythroplakia) that turn into cancer. While most leukoplakia cases do not develop into cancer, erythroplakia is more likely to become cancerous at a later point.

Gum cancer develops as a result of tumors that grow in your gum tissues. While there’s no single known cause, certain risk factors can increase your risk of gum cancer and other oral cancers more generally. These include:

  • smoking and other tobacco product use
  • heavy alcohol use
  • a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables
  • increased age, especially in adults 40 years and older

There may also be a genetic component to oral cancer development. Additionally, these cancers are about twice as common in males versus females.

If you have a history of tobacco use or other risk factors for gum cancer, a dentist may recommend monthly self-examinations of the inside of your mouth using a mirror. Any new lesions, pain, or bleeding in your mouth warrants further evaluation.

A prompt diagnosis is important in catching this aggressive cancer as soon as possible. One way is through your regular dental checkups. During a routine oral exam, a dental hygienist or dentist may notice possible signs of cancer on your gums.

Alternatively, you can see a dentist or a primary doctor if you’re experiencing any possible symptoms of gum cancer. They will perform a quick oral cavity exam to look for signs of cancer around your gum area.

If a dentist or healthcare professional sees anything suspicious, they may conduct a biopsy or refer you to a specialist who can do so.

A biopsy must be done to confirm cancer. This involves taking a sample of the suspicious tissues in your gums and sending it to a lab. If you have a history of leukoplakia or erythroplakia, a doctor may also want to take a biopsy to rule out cancer.

Additionally, a doctor may use imaging tests to see if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or nearby bone. Imaging tests that may be used include:

When treating gum cancer, a doctor may recommend a combination of the following options:

  • Surgery: Gum cancer lesions may be removed via a wide local excision. If the cancer has spread to nearby teeth or bone, some of these tissues may be removed, too.
  • Neck dissection: If the gum cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, these affected areas will also be removed.
  • Chemotherapy or radiation therapy: After gum cancer is removed via surgery, a doctor may recommend either chemotherapy or radiation therapy as a follow-up to help kill cancer cells that may be left behind. This also reduces the risk of cancer recurrence. Sometimes, radiation therapy is used alone for cancer in the gums.
  • Targeted therapy or immunotherapy: These treatments are primarily used in cases of gum cancer when other treatments fail or if the cancer spreads to other areas in your body.
  • Reconstructive surgery: This type of plastic surgery may be needed in cases where gum cancer has spread to your jaw or neck.

Additionally, you may work with more than one doctor and specialist for gum cancer treatment. These include:

Surgery, along with adjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can help cure gum cancer. However, the exact outlook for gum cancer depends on multiple factors, including your age, the stage of cancer, and your individual response to treatment.

Like other types of oral cancers, gum cancer has a favorable outlook, especially when it’s caught in its early stages and hasn’t spread to other areas of the mouth or lymph nodes.

Gum cancer that has spread to more distant areas of the body has a poorer outlook because it’s more difficult to treat.

Gum cancer is not as common as other types of oral cancers, but it may still develop in middle-aged to older adults. This is especially true for those who have a history of using tobacco products.

The good news is gum cancer is highly treatable when detected early. Surgery can help cure it in its early stages, although you may still need other treatments to make sure all the cancer cells are gone.

Regular dental exams can help catch gum cancer early. However, you should consider seeing a dentist or doctor at any point you experience unusual symptoms lasting for longer than a couple of weeks. These include painful, bleeding gums, or unexplained sores.