On Air Archive

Cancer can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, throat, salivary glands, pharynx, and other sites located in the head and neck area. These mouth cancers have a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or skin melanoma. 

Oral and pharyngeal cancer is the sixth most common malignancy reported worldwide and one with high mortality ratios among all malignancies. As with most cancers, mouth and oropharyngeal cancers are more common in older people.  There are very few cases in people under 50.  Every year in Europe, around 100,800 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer and almost 40,000 die from the disease.

Although there have been significant improvements in chemotherapy and surgical techniques, the disease is often particularly challenging to treat since most patients present with advanced disease, have secondary tumours and suffer from other co-morbidities. 

In the UK, the survival rate is just over 50%, despite treatment, and this is because of late detection. There has been a 19% increase in cases from 3,673 (1995) to 4,400 (2001). An increasing number of young people are being affected and 25% of the cases have no associated significant risk factors.

They are also more common in men than women.  But rates of these cancers in women have been increasing in recent years.  This is because women took up smoking in large numbers much later than men and we are only now seeing the effects.  

In its very early stages, mouth cancers can be almost invisible making it easy to ignore. You can improve your chances of survival if the cancer is detected early and rapidly treated. It is important to have a self-awareness and to perform regular, self-examinations to help in the early identification of these symptoms, which include;   A sore or ulcer in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks. 

A lump or overgrowth of tissue anywhere in the mouth

A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, or lining of the mouth

Difficulty in swallowing

Difficulty in chewing or moving the jaw or tongue?

Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth

A feeling that something is caught in the throat.


You can reduce your chances of getting these cancers by:

Stop Smoking and drinking alcohol. Smoking tobacco (cigarettes, cigars and pipes) and drinking a lot of alcohol are the main risk factors for mouth cancers in the western world.  If you smoke you are at a higher than average risk of developing these types of cancers. And drinking too much alcohol also puts you at risk. Cigarettes and alcohol contain nitrosamines and other chemicals that are known to cause cancer.  Your risk increases the longer you smoke.  If you are a smoker and also drink a lot, your risk is even higher because they act together to cause cancer. /

Stop chewing tobacco or betel quid with tobacco is known to cause mouth cancer. This is very common in parts of Asia.  It is also popular in some immigrant groups in Europe, North America and Australia. The harmful substances in tobacco and betel quid can cause cancer if they are in contact with your gums and tongue over long periods. Mouth cancer is much more common in parts of the world where people chew betel quid.  Of the estimated 390,000 cases of oral cancer worldwide each year, well over half occur in Asia.  

Maintain a balanced diet. A poor diet may increase your risk of certain types of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer. This may be because of a lack of zinc, or other vitamins and minerals.  If you eat a well balanced diet, with plenty of protein, you are unlikely to be short of zinc. A diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables seems to reduce the risk of developing cancer of the mouth.  This may be because these foods contain a lot of antioxidant vitamins and other substances that help prevent damage to body cells.  Eating a lot of processed and salty meat may increase risk of mouth cancer. 

For more information about Mouth Cancer contact Cancer Research UK on 020 7242 0200.