Alcohol to Blame for Rise in Oral Cancer
Experts have called for a reduction in the consumption of alcohol as figures show a rise in mouth cancer sufferers.
The results have highlighted alcohol as the cause of the rise in oral cancers and believe that a reduction in alcohol consumption will help stem the amount of mouth cancer sufferers.
Cancer Research UK revealed a huge rise in mouth cancer patients since the mid 1990’s with a 28% rise in male cases and a 25% rise of cases in Women, alcohol consumptions has doubled since the 1950’s.
Health information manager at Cancer Research UK, Hazel Nunn, says: ‘These latest figures are really alarming. Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain’s continually rising drinking levels.
Despite the current recommended daily guidelines that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day, and women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol per day, as suggested by the Department of Health.
Though the current recommendations are in place one Mouth Cancer Foundation doctor has suggested that people should rule out the consumption of alcohol completely.
Dr Vinod Joshi, founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, said: “’In view of the latest reports from Cancer Research UK, the current alcohol guidelines that we’ve got are actually very high.
“’To reduce the risk of mouth cancer risk, the Mouth Cancer Foundation recommends that people should limit or avoid drinking alcohol altogether.”
Mouth cancers are becoming an increased problem in the UK and over 1,800 lives are claimed each year as a result of the disease along with the diagnosis of a further 5,000 patients.
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