• 11/16/2006
  • London, UK
  • staff
  • The Sun (www.thesun.co.uk)

Binge drinking is fuelling a rise in rates of mouth cancer, a leading expert warned today. Professor Saman Warnakulasuriya blamed excessive boozing for an increase in cases of the deadly disease.

Mouth cancer kills one person every five hours in the UK, and the number of new cases is increasing each year.

Prof Warnakulasuriya is Professor of Oral Medicine and Experimental Oral Pathology at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Dental Institute in London.

He spoke out at at the launch of Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, a campaign to help victims catch the disease in its early stages.

Early detection greatly increases chances of survival.

Prof Warnakulasuriya said that rising cases of the illness were down to “recent increases in alcohol consumption, taken together with alarming levels of binge drinking by young people”.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: “Early detection of mouth cancer increases survival chances from just one in two to around nine out of 10, so increased awareness is vitally important.

“Ulcers that won’t heal, lumps or red or white patches in the mouth can be common early symptoms of mouth cancer, so it is very important that people check their mouths on a regular basis, with a visit to a dentist or doctor following should they notice any changes.”

Heavy drinking and smoking increase the risk of mouth cancer by up to 30 times. Chewing tobacco – or other substances like paan, areca nut or gutkha, which is common in some ethnic communities – is also dangerous.