The Cause of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer can mean, mouth, tongue, tonsil, throat, lip and oropharyngeal cancers. With a wide range of diagnoses, this type of cancer kills one person every hour, every day. While this is a very tragic statistic, preventing oral cancer is possible. And, early detection increases the survival rate to 90 percent.

The main cause of oral cancer is the prolonged and continued use of tobacco and alcohol. The CDC states that after 5 years of not smoking the chances of being diagnosed with oral cancer is cut in half. Quitting smoking and drinking, while easier said than done to those who are addicted, can prolong your life and certainly improve the quality of your life while reducing your chances of being diagnosed with oral cancer.

Another cause of oral cancer that is taking the medical world by surprise is the Human Papilloma Virus. HPV-16 is a new etymology and commonly known as the cause of a majority of cervical cancers and a sexually transmitted disease. Oral cancer stemming from this virus equates to more than 5,700 cases of oral cancer in men every year.

The final circumstance that causes oral cancer seems to be genetics. Some people are just predisposed to be diagnosed with this horrible cancer.

Preventing cancer is a hard thing to do. While you can quit smoking, or refrain from smoking all together, to increase your chances of not being diagnosed, the most important thing you can do is to be screened yearly.

An oral surgeon is especially skilled to detect and treat oral cancer. If found in the early stages survivability is extremely high. However, the death rate when found in late stages is around 43 percent.

Next time you have a dental check-up ask for an oral cancer screening. Even if you’ve never smoked, this screening could save your life. If you have questions about oral cancer, how it is detected and subsequently treated, ask your Melbourne oral surgeon today.