About mouth cancer

Mouth cancer x-raysWhat is mouth cancer?

Mouth cancer can develop in any part of the mouth including the tongue, gums, tonsils, lining of the mouth, lips and upper part of the throat.

Doctors may also call mouth cancer:

  • cancers of the ‘oral cavity’ (this is the medical term for mouth)
  • cancers of the ‘oropharynx (the part of the throat that connects to the mouth)
  • cancers of the ‘hypopharynx’ (the part surrounding the voicebox)

When we talk about mouth cancer we are including all of these cancers.

How common is mouth cancer?

Doctors diagnosed over 5,300 new cases of mouth cancer in the UK in 2006. This is more cases per year than cervical cancer and testicular cancer combined, and they tend to be much more well known.

What can we do about mouth cancer?

At the moment we have two priorities:

  • to encourage people to notice early warning signs of mouth cancer and seek help immediately (this can save lives)
  • to encourage people to stop using tobacco or betel nut and reduce their alcohol intake (this could prevent mouth cancer developing).

For more on how this campaign can make an impact see the why mouth cancer? page. Cancer Research UK is also funding research into mouth cancer.

More information about mouth cancer:

Reducing your risk and early warning signs

The Open Up to Mouth Cancer campaign is raising awareness of how to reduce your risk of mouth cancer and spot the early warning signs.

More about diagnosing, treating and living with mouth cancer

If you, or someone you know, has mouth cancer then visit CancerHelp UK for more on diagnosing, treating and living with mouth cancer.

Statistics for health professionals

You can see more detailed mouth cancer statistics in our health professionals section.

A quick overview

For a quick overview of mouth cancer see the oral cancer information in our A to Z index.