{"id":42015,"date":"2022-06-27T03:21:07","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T15:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/oral-health-wellbeing\/what-you-need-to-know-about-oral-cancer\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T16:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T04:24:32","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-oral-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/what-you-need-to-know-about-oral-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about oral cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Scientists have made remarkable strides in cancer research. Be it skin cancer, breast cancer or colorectal cancer, many types of cancers that people are diagnosed with they can fully recover from, especially if the disease is detected early on.<\/p>\n

But there is another cancer that you may not hear discussed quite as often as breast or skin cancer. It's oral cancer, and while it's less common than the aforementioned, thousands of people around the world are diagnosed with it every year. Much like the cancers referenced, it's important to be mindful of the symptoms so you can receive the appropriate treatment.<\/p>\n

What is oral cancer?<\/strong>
Oral cancer refers to any cancerous cell that forms within the mouth, whether affecting the tongue, lips, palate, inner cheeks, ceiling or floor of the mouth.<\/p>\n

How common is oral cancer?<\/strong>
According to World Cancer Research Fund International, oral cancer affects approximately 377,700 people globally<\/a> in a year, making it the 16th most common cancer overall, based on the most recent figures available. It's slightly more common among men than it is among women. That annual figure is significantly fewer than the 2.2 million people diagnosed with breast cancer, which is the most common cancer of all<\/a>, according to the World Health Organisation. The second and third most common are lung and colon cancer, respectively.<\/p>\n

What causes oral cancer?<\/strong>
In many ways, oral cancer is similar to the other types. There isn't one single thing that causes it. A combination of factors can lead to a diagnosis, including age, lifestyle, obesity, alcohol consumption and spending a lot of time outside without sunscreen. But the leading contributor to oral cancer is tobacco use. Indeed, the World Cancer Research Fund International says 90% of mouth cancers worldwide stem from tobacco consumption, be it from cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars or pipe use.<\/p>\n

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\"TobaccoTobacco use greatly increases the risk of different oral cancers. <\/figurecaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What are classic signs of oral cancer?<\/strong>
One of the main reasons why the mortality rates for certain cancers are as high as they are is because it can be hard to know when you're showing symptoms. For instance, skin cancer has one of the highest survivability rates. But if a cancerous growth on the skin isn't spotted early — or is mistaken for a benign mole or freckle — the treatment may not be as effective as it would be if the cancer was caught sooner.<\/p>\n

Mouth cancer or oral cancer tends to produce a combination of symptoms, several of which may not seem all that unusual. According to the Cancer Society, these include:<\/p>\n