• 5/20/2005
  • Ireland
  • Deborah Condon
  • Irish Health (irishhealth.com)

More people die in Ireland every year as a result of oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC), than malignant melanoma or cervical cancer. Yet the disease remains relatively unknown here, with most people failing to be diagnosed until they are at an advanced stage, new research has found.

OPC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with 575,000 new cases and 200,000 deaths every year. It refers to cancer that originates in the mouth (oral cavity) or the pharynx, the part of the throat at the back of the mouth. Men are more likely to develop it than women and most cases occur in people over the age of 40. Two known causes of the disease are alcohol and tobacco use.

In Ireland, around 300 new cases are diagnosed every year and 150 people die as a result. This death rate exceeds that of malignant melanoma, cervical cancer and Hodgkin’s disease.

Alcohol is one of the known causes of oral and pharyngeal cancer

Despite this, OPC ‘has a relatively low profile both among healthcare providers and patients’, according to Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan of the Cork Dental School and Hospital in University College Cork.

She analysed 370 cases of OPC in the south of Ireland and also looked at data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organisation.

Dr O’Sullivan found that while the outcome for OPC is extremely good if caught in the early stages, most oral cancers, with the exception of lip cancer, ‘tend to be advanced at presentation’.

“The lack of public awareness and the low profile of this disease, even among the healthcare professions, are considered one of the main reasons for the late presentation, with 60% of cases still presenting at an advanced stage”, she said.

She emphasised that the ability to control OPC depends on prevention and early diagnosis. To this end, educational campaigns are needed to raise public awareness of this disease and its link with alcohol and tobacco.

She also pointed out that the screening examination is quick (90 seconds), non-invasive and requires no specialised or expensive equipment.

“Clinicians should emphasise the need for and perform routine oral cancer examinations to promote early diagnosis and treatment, as this would greatly reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with OPC”, Dr O’Sullivan said.