Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is the eighth most common caner for men in the world. In south-central Asia it ranks among the top three most common caners. Denmark, Germany, Scotland, and central and eastern Europe have all reported sharp inclines in the amount of oral/pharyngeal cancers. Austria, New Zealand, Japan and the US have reported inclines, but to a lesser extent. The graph below shows common cancers for males world wide. By studying the graph, pharyngeal and oral cancers are much more frequent in less developed countries.

Comparison of the most common cancers in males in more and less developed countries in 2000

As I stated in my last post, most of the time the culprit is smoking. However, use of smokeless tobacco and alcohol consumption can also lead to a higher risk of oral/pharyngeal cancers. In Thailand, per 100,000 people, the incident rate of oral cancer is 4.6. This number directly correlates with the amount of people that smoke, chew and drink alcohol. About 60% of people in Thailand smoke, 15% chew betal nut and 35% consume alcohol. India has an even higher incidence rate of 12.6.

Sources:

WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2003

WHO Oral Health Report, 2003