Alcohol Consumption Linked to Significant Mouth Cancer Increase in the North East
Experts have warned that excessive alcohol consumption is contributing to a sharp increase in the number of mouth cancer cases in the North East.
Figures show a staggering 53 percent increase in the number of alcohol-related mouth and pharyngeal cancer cases in the last 10 years.
Research carried out by the North East Alcohol Office, Balance, suggests an alarming increase in the number of people affected by mouth cancer and the release of the report is timely as November is Mouth Cancer Action month.
According to statistics from Balance, 404 cases of mouth cancer were diagnosed in 2013 in the North East and experts have linked around 30% of these to alcohol consumption. Smoking is another major risk factor for oral cancer and if you smoke and drink, you’re up to 35 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.
The report also suggested that on the whole, there has been an increase of 16 percent in alcohol-related cancer cases. This refers to all forms of cancer.
Director of Balance, Colin Shevills, said the findings of the study are worrying and has urged people to be aware that in essence, alcohol is a poison and should be viewed in the same capacity as smoking and asbestos when it comes to cancer risk.
The North East is not the only region affected by soaring mouth cancer rates. Cancer Research UK suggests that mouth cancer cases have risen by more than a third in the last decade, with lifestyle factors being the main cause.
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