Number of oral cancer cases rises
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.
“The increase of oral cancer among women may be attributed to an increase in the number of women smoking and the frequency with which they consume alcohol,” said consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon Prof Leo Stassen.
He warned that women would soon replace men as the most likely sufferers of oral cancer, if the trend continued.
Previously, it was believed men were twice as likely to develop oral cancer as women. The cancer, usually rare in any population, is also found more often in people over the age of 40.
The dental association pointed out that more young people in Ireland are presenting with the disease and some neither smoked nor drank, suggesting that other causes, such as viruses or genetic problems, might be involved.
And it looks like this year will be the first in which more than 500 new head and neck cancer cases are diagnosed in the general population. Of these, 150 are likely to cancers of the mouth.
