Mouth cancer (also known as oral cancer) is an uncommon type of cancer that usually develops on the surface of the tongue, mouth, lips or gums. Less commonly, it can occur in the salivary glands, tonsils and the part of the throat leading from your mouth to your windpipe (the pharynx).
Symptoms of mouth cancer include:
- red, or red and white, patches on the lining of your mouth or tongue
- one or more mouth ulcers that do not heal
- a swelling in your mouth that lasts for more than three weeks
For more information, see Mouth cancer - symptoms.
How common is mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer is uncommon but certainly not rare, and rates have risen by more than 20% in the last 30 years. There were 4,199 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed in England during 2006.
The two most significant risk factors for mouth cancer, accounting for an estimated 90% of cases, are:
- cigarette smoking
- prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption
People who both drink and smoke have a particularly high risk: they are more than 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer than people who do not smoke or drink.
The condition is two to three times more common in men than women (possibly because more men misuse alcohol than women). Most cases develop in people aged 40 years or over, with a steep rise in cases in those aged 60-65.
Outlook
Like most types of cancers, the outlook for mouth cancer depends to a large extent on how quickly the cancer is diagnosed and treatment begins.
If diagnosed at an early stage, the outlook for mouth cancer is generally moderate to good. A complete cure is often possible using a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.
An estimated 70-90% of people with early-stage mouth cancer will live for at least five years after their diagnosis, and many will live for a lot longer.
If diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the cancer has spread out of the mouth and into surrounding tissue, the outlook is poor: only one in five people will live for at least five years after their diagnosis. There were 1,437 deaths due to mouth cancer in England in 2007.
The most effective way of preventing mouth cancer is to quit smoking if you are a smoker and limit your consumption of alcohol. See Preventing mouth cancer for more information.
