Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Danger of Oral Cancer

Belonging to the group of cancers in the head and neck, oral or mouth cancer can be attributed to a variety of causes. But of these, excessive smoking and drinking are identified to be the most common. Hence, statistical figures have identified older men with a history of heavy smoking and alcohol consumption as having the greatest risk.

Oral cancer develops in the oropharynx and any part of the oral cavity. These days, its rate has been found out to increase among the younger crowd, especially people in their 30's and 40's. Oral cancer is not contagious. Nevertheless, knowledge of these risk factors would help increase people's awareness, so they can avoid them. They are as follows:

Tobacco
All forms of tobacco use—cigarette/pipe/cigar smoking, tobacco chewing and snuff dipping—could cause oral cancer.

Alcohol
The more amount of alcohol is imbibed on a regular basis, the higher a person's risk would be.

Sun
Lip cancer is the top risk associated with excessive sun exposure.

History of Head and Neck Cancer
Persons who have developed any form of head and neck cancers in the past are at risk of suffering from oral cancer in the future.

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