Oral Cancer Cases Soar By 68% Due To Smoking, Drinking And Unhealthy Diet

A disturbing rise on the number of mouth cancer cases has been discovered by Cancer Research UK.

Mirror UK reported that a tremendous rise to 68 percent was found in oral cancer cases in the past two decades. According to a study conducted by Cancer Research UK in time for Mouth Cancer Action Month, latest statistics show that the number of cases heightened from eight to 13 in every 100,000 people.

According to Medical News Today, oral cancer, which is also known as mouth cancer, is a type of head and neck cancer that occurs in different parts of the mouth such as the tongue surface, lips, gums, inside the cheek, in the roof or floor of the mouth, tonsils, as well as salivary glands.

WebMD states that symptoms for oral cancer include swellings or thickenings inside the mouth, rough spots, lumps, velvety red and white patches, unexplained bleeding, numbness or pain, persistent face, neck or mouth sores that are not healed within two weeks, soreness in the back of the throat, hoarseness, pain in the ear, change of teeth positioning and weight loss, among others.

About nine in 10 cases were found to have been linked to a person's poor lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, low fruit and vegetable diet and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection.

"Healthy lifestyles can help reduce the risk of developing the disease in the first place. Not smoking, drinking less alcohol and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables can all help to cut our risk of mouth cancer," said Jessica Kirby of Cancer Research UK.

She added that getting an HPV vaccination will also prevent a person from getting infection that would contribute to a possible cause.

For Cancer Research UK, this warning serves as a call for the government to support Stop Smoking Services that would encourage people at risk to finally quit smoking.