Number of oral cancer cases rises

SMOKING and alcohol are being blamed for the dramatic increase in the number of Irish women contracting oral cancer in the past decade.

Women now account for a third of new cases diagnosed very year. During the 1990s, women accounted for a mere 12% of oral cancer cases, but the proportion has been increasing steadily every year since.

The Irish Dental Association said the increase in the incidence of the disease comes at a time when the number of men being diagnosed only increased slightly. The increase in smoking among women, who now represent more than half of all smokers, is believed to be a big factor.