Alcohol linked to rise in mouth cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Cases of mouth cancer have gone up by a quarter in recent years in the UK.
The main risk factors for mouth cancer are smoking and drinking alcohol. Smoking has gone down in recent years, but mouth cancer cases in the UK have gone up by about a quarter. It may well be that a rise in alcohol consumption has a lot to do with this.

Cancer Research Research UK, the leading charity, has just launched a new campaign to make people more aware. Surveys have shown that three quarters of people know of the link between smoking and mouth cancer. Only one in five knows that alcohol is a risk too.

Mouth cancer has a 50 to 90 per cent five year survival rate and, of course, outcomes are better if it is caught early. The most common symptoms are sores, ulcers, red or white patches that don't clear up and unexplained pain in the mouth or ear. Less common symptoms are a lump in the neck, persistent sore throat or problems swallowing. Any such symptoms that don't clear up within three weeks merit an urgent visit to the doctor or dentist. Regular visits to the dentist are important too - he or she should always check for mouth cancer.

Source
Cancer Research UK 16th November 2005