How Common is Mouth Cancer?
Each year in the United States there are about 20,000 new cases of mouth cancer leading to 4,000 deaths annually from this disease. Men are affected twice as often as women. Overall, mouth cancer represents about 3% of all new cancers each year, and it is more common in blacks than whites, and in those of “lower socioeconomic status” (poor people). The average patient is 60 years old. What Causes, or Increases Risk for Mouth Cancer? Like any cancer, the exact reason why one person gets mouth cancer and another does not remains unknown. However, several”risk factors” have been shown to be much more likely to be present in mouth cancer patients. These include: 1) Tobacco Usage– This is the single strongest risk factor for developing cancers of the head and neck, and especially mouth cancer. Any form of tobacco taken through the mouth, whether smoked or chewed, increases the risk over time. Even children who use chewing tobacco (often to emulate famous baseball players) have gotten mouth
