Mouth cancer cases forecast to rise

Posted by Yvonne Wallace

New research has found the incidence of mouth cancer is expected to go up over the course of the next few years.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, there will be a 23 per cent rise in the number of cases by 2030 when compared with figures from 2008.

This means there is going to be around 8,000 diagnoses of mouth cancer every month in the UK, while chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation Dr Nigel Carter stated the onus on reducing the likelihood of contracting the disease lies with the population.

He said: “Tobacco use remains the largest cause of mouth cancer and we have seen alcohol-related admissions to hospital pass the one million mark for the first time.”

A recent study conducted at the University of Iowa in the US highlighted the health issues posed by mouth cancer, with more than half of survivors having problems eating, while around one in four respondents admitted they suffer from speech issues years later.