Alarming Increase In Oral Cancer Cases
Figures have confirmed an alarming increase in the number of cases of oral cancer in the UK. Statistics show that there has been an increase of 1,000 cases in the last year alone.
According to figures released by the British Dental Health Foundation, the number of new cases of oral cancer increased by more than 1,000 in 2011 compared to the previous year, with more than 6,000 new cases diagnosed in England. The figures also confirm that the number of cases has doubled since the year 2000, with men much more commonly affected than women.
In 2011, 2500 people died from oral cancer and experts are worried that survival rates are not increasing in line with other forms of cancer, which have seen dramatic improvements. the main problem is that most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where there is a high risk that the disease has spread to other parts of the body; early detection can improve the chance of survival by up to 90 per cent, but public awareness of the disease is poor and this means that a large proportion of people are unaware of the symptoms.
Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation Dr Nigel Carter OBE, said that the statistics are very worrying, especially as there seems to be a significant gap in knowledge and public awareness. Surveys show that many people are unaware of the causes and risk factors for oral cancer, which include drinking, exposure to HPV and unsurprisingly, smoking. People who smoke and drink are up to 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer than those who drink rarely and do not smoke.
The figures were released just days before the instigation of this year’s Mouth Cancer Action Month, which is supported by the BDHF and will run for the duration of November.
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