Cancer of the mouth affects approximately 3000 men and women in
this country every year. It can occur anywhere in the mouth but
most commonly affects the tongue, the lining of the mouth
underneath the tongue and the lower gum. It is mainly a disease of
the elderly with nearly three quarters of all mouth cancers
occurring in those aged between 55 & 75 years but it can and does
occur in those who are younger than this.
The vast majority of mouth cancers are
caused by excessive use of tobacco and alcohol. People who smoke
more than 20 cigarettes or 5 cigars a day are 6 times more likely
than non-smokers to get mouth cancer and those who also drink
heavily are 24 times more likely than non-drinkers and non-smokers
to get the disease. Pipe smoking, chewing tobacco and chewing
betel nut (Pan) can also cause mouth cancer. Cancer of the mouth
is uncommon in people who neither drink alcohol nor use tobacco.
It is also slightly more common in people whose close relatives
have had a cancer of the mouth or throat