Essay On Oral Cancer

There are about 40,000 cases of oral cancers diagnosed in the United States every year and it will cause over 8,650 deaths. The death rate for oral cancer is greater than cervical and endocrine cancers. Of those 40,000 cases, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years. Oral cancer is a cancer that begins in the mouth or the throat at the back of the mouth. There is an uncontrollable growth of cells that invade and cause damage to tissues. Mouth cancer or Oral cancer may arise as a primary lesion originated in any of the tissues in the oral cavity. There are several types of oral cancers, but 90% of them are squamous cell carcinomas, which means that they originate in the tissues that line the mouth and lips and commonly involves the tongue, floor of the mouth and gingiva. Oral cancer has resulted in many deaths since 1990 to today’s date, even that the death rate has increased tremendously there is more advance equipment to help …show more content…
As a matter of fact, a smoker has five time more chances of developing oral cancer than a lifetime non-smoker. But, the risk is even higher for people who use both tobacco products and heavy use of alcohol. The alcohol can act as an irritant in the mouth and throat and the cells that are damaged may try to repair themselves, which could lead to DNA changes in cells and then cause cancer. In addition, too much sun exposure on the lips can also lead to the development of mouth cancer especially for people who work outdoors. Another factor to keep in mind is the family history, because if someone in their family had cancer in the past that can increase their chances of getting it. According to a research by the American Cancer Society, men face twice the risk of developing oral cancer than women and those men who are over age 50, face the greatest risk. On the other hand, 25% of all oral cancers occur in the population who does not smoke or drink