Facts & figures

One person dies every five hours from mouth cancer in the UK

How many cases?

5,325 new cases of mouth cancer were diagnosed in the UK in 2006 – more than ever before. The number of annual mouth cancer cases increased by a staggering 41% in the last decade A third of cases of mouth cancer are found in the mouth cavity and a quarter are found on the tongue.

What about deaths?

• 1,851 people died from mouth cancer in 2007.
• Under half of those diagnosed survive beyond five years of being diagnosed
• About 70% of mouth cancers are detected at a late stage, reducing chances of survival
• Early detection transforms survival chances to more than 90% cases
• Mouth cancer kills more people than cervical cancer and testicular cancer combined

What are the risk factors?

• Tobacco use and drinking alcohol are the main risk factors and account for around 75% of mouth cancers.
• People who both drink and use tobacco are up to 30 times more likely to develop the condition
• Although some people believe that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking, the reality is that it is even more dangerous. Chewing tobacco, paan, areca nut and gutkha are habits favoured by some ethnic groups
• Mouth cancer is more likely to affect people over 40 years of age, though an increasing number of young people are developing the condition
• 50 years ago mouth cancer was five times more common in men than women. Now it is only twice as common
• US studies relate the human papilloma virus (HPV) to more than 20,000 cancer cases in the past five years. Experts say HPV could overtake tobacco and alcohol as a major risk factor within the coming decade.
• Poor diet is linked to around a third of cases.