Risk Facters

A variety of factors that you can control increase your risk of oral cancer. These include:
* Use of tobacco. Tobacco can damage cells in the lining of the oral cavity and upper throat. Smokers are much more likely to develop oral or upper throat cancers than nonsmokers are. About 90 percent of people who develop these cancers use some form of tobacco. Tobacco use is more prevalent among men, so oral cancer is more common in men than in women. People who use smokeless or chewing tobacco are at even higher risk of cancers of the cheek and inner surface of the lips. Aside from oral and throat cancers, using smokeless tobacco can cause other serious health problems, including other cancers, gum disease and possibly cardiovascular disease.
* Excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol also can damage cells inside your mouth and upper throat. Roughly three-fourths of people with oral and upper throat cancers are frequent drinkers of alcohol. The combination of alcohol and tobacco use significantly increases your risk.
* Chronic denture irritation. Irritation caused by dentures doesn't itself appear to be a factor in oral cancer. However, poorly fitting dentures can trap particles of tobacco and alcohol, and prolonged exposure to these known risk factors may further increase your risk of oral cancer. Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. Too much ultraviolet light can damage the cells on your lips and increase your risk of lip cancer. Almost one in three people with lip cancer have jobs that keep them outdoors for long periods of time.
* White patches on the tongue or inside of the cheek (leukoplakia). Most of the time leukoplakia isn't dangerous. But leukoplakia can be serious, as some of the patches may show early signs of cancer, and many cancers of the mouth occur in areas in which leukoplakia is adjacent. Leukoplakia may result from a variety of causes, including smoking or chewing tobacco products or ill-fitting dentures.
* Red raised patches inside the mouth (erythroplakia). Erythroplakia is more likely than leukoplakia to indicate a developing cancer. The majority of these are eventually diagnosed as cancer. These areas often bleed easily if scraped.
* Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a group of sexually transmitted viruses that have been linked to most cases of cervical cancers. More recently, HPV has been found to be a factor in about one out of five oral cancers.