Mouth Cancer or Oral Cancer

Mouth cancer or oral cancer usually starts in the cells lining the mouth. It is also called as the cancer of the mouth.

This disease may occur anywhere in the mouth, few may be common sites like the lips, tongue and floor of the mouth and few uncommon like the gums, cheeks, roof of the mouth, hard and soft palate, tonsils and salivary glands.

The risk factors of mouth cancer or oral cancer are age factor; the increasing age may form a threat to develop this disease. People over the age of 45 years are at increased risk. Also men are at high risk than women to develop the disease.

The other major risk factors which increase the chances of developing the disease are smoking and use of tobacco. The location of occurrence of the cancer in the mouth depends on the use or chewing of tobacco at a certain position in the mouth.

Over consumption of alcohol or heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of mouth cancer or oral cancer even more. The mouth cancer or oral cancer risk increases if smoking or use of tobacco in any form is accompanied by alcohol consumption.

Mouth Cancer or Oral Cancer Prognosis

Like any other cancer the mouth cancer or oral cancer prognosis also thoroughly depends on the stage and grade of the cancer meaning how advanced the cancer is. Also the important factor on which the outcome of this disease depends is that which part the mouth or the oropharynx is involved.

Generally the statistics for the mouth cancer or oral cancer are stated in combination of all stages and some with respect to single stage. However the 5 year survival rates are available only for certain specific types of mouth cancer or oral cancer rather than all types.

The statistics are in general and some combine all stages and types of mouth cancer or oral cancer. The 5 year survival rates for specific kinds of mouth cancer are available for some but not for all types.

Mouth Cancer or Oral Cancer Survival Rate

Good news about mouth cancer or oral cancer is that the survival rates have risen slightly over past 20 years. Among all the people who are diagnosed with mouth cancer or oral cancer or cancer of the mouth studies reveal that in about 100 diagnosed 55 live for at least 5 years.

About 41 out of every 100 people diagnosed (41%) will live for at least 10 years. For oropharyngeal cancer alone, about 35 out of every 100 diagnosed (35%) will live at least 5 years. Rates for individual mouth cancers or oral cancer include

  • Oral cavity – this excludes the lip and tongue and includes all other mouth cancers. Nearly 50 out of every 100 people diagnosed (47%) will be alive 5 years later.
  • Lip cancer – nearly 90 out of 100 people diagnosed (89%) will be alive 5 years later.
  • Tongue cancer – Just over 40 out of 100 people diagnosed (42%) will be alive 5 years later.