• 11/13/2005
  • London, England
  • staff
  • Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Smokers are worryingly unconcerned about the high risks they face from mouth cancer, research has revealed.

While the dangers of lung cancer remain at the forefront of fears about tobacco, many remain unaware that smokers are six times more likely to develop mouth cancer than non-smokers. A survey has now found that nine out of 10 smokers (89 per cent) put concerns about mouth cancer as a low priority.

Only 5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds who smoke said they worried about mouth cancer – despite the fact that 90 per cent of people with mouth cancer are tobacco users.

The research, by dental plan provider Denplan, came during Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, which runs until November 19.

Charity Cancer Research UK is this week also to warn about the link between alcohol consumption and a rise in mouth cancer cases in the UK, with a new campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms.

Around 4,300 new cases of mouth cancer – also known as oral cancer – are diagnosed in the UK each year.

The Denplan survey, of more than 2,200 people, found that both smokers and non-smokers were more likely to worry about other types of cancer than mouth cancer with only one in five (20 per cent) concerned about contracting the disease.

But with half of people with mouth cancer dying from the disease, it has a higher proportion of deaths than breast, cervical and skin cancer.

The survey also found poor awareness of the symptoms of the disease, with only four in 10 (40 per cent) people recognising the early warning signs, such as a lump on the lip, tongue or throat and red or white patches in the mouth. And 15 per cent of those questioned said that none of these symptoms would make them think they had mouth cancer.

People who have high alcohol consumption are six times more likely than non-drinkers to develop the disease. Smoking combined with drinking can increase the risk by up to 30 times.

But despite this only 35 per cent of those questioned correctly identified alcohol as a risk factor for mouth cancer. Denplan said young people were also at risk, with growing numbers being diagnosed with the disease.

Dental advisor Dr Henry Clover said: “It is deeply worrying that smokers are not worried about this potentially fatal disease, which causes 1,700 deaths a year and that awareness still remains much lower than many other forms of cancer.

“Symptoms of mouth cancer vary widely in look and feel, making early self-detection difficult.

“That’s why regular visits to the dentist remain crucial for detecting the disease because dentists are trained to spot the signs.”

A campaign with the message “It could be you” is urging people to have regular checks with their dentist to help spot the signs of mouth cancer earlier. If the disease is detected and treated early, the chances of survival improve from 50 per cent to 90 per cent.

Mouth Cancer Awareness Week is also supported by the British Dental Association, Cancer Research UK, the Department of Health, the Medical Council on Alcohol and other organisations.