Incidences of mouth cancer Expand Last year, 8,846 people in the United Kingdom were diagnosed with mouth cancer. This means that one person in the UK is diagnosed with mouth cancer every hour. Mouth cancer is the 14th most common cancer in the UK. In men, mouth cancer is the 9th most common cancer in the UK, with around 6,015 new cases a year. In women, mouth cancer is the 15th most common cancer in the UK, with around 2,831 new cases a year. Most mouth cancers occur in the tongue. These make up around one in three cases for men and women. Mouth cancer is strongly associated with age. More than three in four (91%) mouth cancers are diagnosed in those over the age of 50.
Mortality Expand Around 3,034 people in the United Kingdom lose their life to mouth cancer every year. That's 8 people every day. Mouth cancer is the 17th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for around 2% of all cancers deaths. In men, mouth cancer in the 16th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 2,123 deaths. In women, mouth cancer is the 18th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 911 deaths. The most deadly mouth cancer is cancer of the tongue, accounting for over a third (30%) of all mouth cancer deaths last year. Men are far more likely to die from mouth cancer than women. Men account for 70% of mouth cancer deaths compared to only 30% for women. Deaths from mouth cancer are heavily linked to the stage of diagnosis.
Mouth cancer risk factors Expand Lifetime risk The estimated lifetime risk of being diagnosed with mouth cancer is around 1 in 55 (2%) for males, and 1 in 108 (less than 1%) for females born after 1960 in the UK. Smoking Around two-in-three (66%) mouth cancers are linked to smoking. The risk of being diagnosed with mouth cancer for a smoker is almost double (91%) that of a never-smoker. Mouth cancer risk is 35% lower in ex-smokers who quit 1-4 years previously, compared with current smokers. Mouth cancer risk is no higher in ex-smokers who quit 20+ years previously, compared with never-smokers. Mouth cancer risk is around 3 times higher in bidi smokers compared with bidi never-smokers. Smokeless tobacco Mouth cancer risk is up to four and a half times higher in smokeless tobacco users. This risk may be higher in females and for users of chewing types of smokeless tobacco. Alcohol Those who drink more than 10 units of alcohol a week could be increasing the risk of mouth cancer by 81%. Drinking alcohol to excess is linked to around a third (34%) of all mouth cancers. If you both smoke and drink to excess it can increase your risk of developing mouth cancer can be tripple. Human papillomavirus (HPV) The human papillomavirus (HPV) type-16 and 18 are linked to around three in four (73%) oropharyngeal cancers and more than one in ten (12%) oral cavity and hypopharynx cancers. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) Mouth cancer risk is 87% higher in never-smokers who have ever been exposed to ETS at home or work, compared with unexposed never-smokers. Mouth cancer risk is more than twice higher in never-smokers exposed to ETS at home or work for 15+ years, compared with unexposed never-smokers. Infections Mouth cancer risk is around twice higher in people with HIV/AIDS, compared with the general population. Organ transplant Mouth cancer risk is 2-5 times higher in organ transplant recipients compared with the general population. Family history Mouth cancer risk could be up to 70% higher in people with a family (particularly sibling) history of mouth cancer, versus those without such history, a pooled analysis showed.
Survival Expand Spotting mouth cancer early is crucial for beating the disease. Early detection boosts our chances of survival from 50% to 90%. Depending on where the cancer strikes, the one-year survival rate for mouth cancer is between 60% and 84%. Survival rate after 10 years drops to between 18% and 57%. Women have better one-year, five-year and 10-year survival rates compared to men. Hypopharyngeal cancer has the lowest survival rate standing at just over 60% after one year and around 18% after 10 years. Oropharyngeal cancer has the highest survival rate standing at just over 84% after one year and nearly 57% after 10 years. Tongue cancer 80% of men survive tongue cancer for at least one year. This is predicted to fall to 60% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar with 81% surviving for one year or more, and 62% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for tongue cancer is 51% in men and 54% in women. Oropharyngeal cancer 84% of men survive oropharyngeal cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 66% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar with 84% surviving for one year or more, and 66% predicted to survive for at least five years The ten year survival rate for oropharyngeal cancer is 57% in men and 59% in women. Oral cavity cancer 78% of men survive oral cavity cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 54% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar to men one year after diagnosis with 79% surviving for one year or more and higher than men at five years after diagnosis with 60% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for oral cavity cancer is 42%% in men and 50% in women. Hypopharyngeal cancer 60% of men survive hypopharyngeal cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 27% surviving for five years. Survival for women is similar with 61% surviving for one year or more, and 30% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for hypopharyngeal cavity cancer is 18% in men and 23% in women.
Trends over time Expand In the last ten years, cases have risen by 34% in the UK. Rates of mouth cancer has increased by an astonishing 103% over the last 20 years (England data only). The latest research says that deaths from mouth cancer in the UK have increased by 5% compared to last year. Sadly, the number of people losing their life to mouth cancer has also grown. The latest research says that deaths from mouth cancer have increased by 46% compared with ten years’ ago.