Third of Irish mouth cancers caused by alcohol consumption

Elijah Sewell from Ballincollig, Cork: 'When the sore throat didn't go away after the holiday, I went back. We did tests and they told me I had throat cancer.' Picture: Denis Minihane

A third of cases of mouth cancers diagnosed in Ireland each year are caused by alcohol consumption, a health official has said.

There has also been an increase in the number of women diagnosed with the disease, while the average age of patients has fallen.

Marking Mouth Cancer Awareness Day on Wednesday, Aisling Sheehan, national lead for the HSE alcohol, mental health and wellbeing programmes, said there were links between alcohol and cancer generally.

“It has the strongest association with the tissues that come directly into contact with the alcohol, so mouth cancer,” she said.

“Alcohol is a carcinogen, it breaks down in the body into chemicals that actually damage your DNA. There’s also other ways it can cause cancer, it can stop your body from absorbing nutrients to protect you against cancer, and it can increase some hormones.” 

Dr Sheehan said about a third of mouth and upper throat cancers are caused by alcohol, followed by 24% of voice box cancers and 20% of oesophagus cancers.

The prevalence of mouth disease is also increasing by about 3% annually, with about 700 cases of mouth, neck and head cancer being diagnosed in Ireland each year. Case numbers are also expected to rise by 30% in the next 25 years.

“My colleagues that work in this area specifically are seeing a decrease in the age in terms of presentation. Originally, it had been over 65s and now they’re seeing people in their 40s and 50s,” Dr Sheehan said.

“They’re also seeing a lot more women. In the past, it had been a ratio of six men to one woman, whereas now it’s a two to one ratio."

Tickle in my throat was cancer

Elijah Sewell (50), from Ballincollig, was diagnosed with oropharynx cancer in 2018 after he noticed a tickle in his throat.

"I was going to Turkey and my wife was going to her GP when I had a sore throat. I decided to go with her to get it checked out and get some antibiotics," he told the Irish Examiner.

"When the sore throat didn't go away after the holiday, I went back. We did tests and they told me I had throat cancer."

Mr Sewell believes it was luck that they caught the diagnosis so early.

"I was surprised because it was just a tickle in my throat, there was nothing wrong with me. I had just spent 10 days in Turkey, I was in great form," he said.

"I know if I wasn't going to Turkey or my wife wasn't going to the GP, I wouldn't have caught it as early. I would have said it was just a sore throat. Now I know I have to listen to my body when it's trying to tell me something is wrong."

Mr Sewell underwent treatment and was given the all-clear in January 2019.

"I feel great now. Every three months I go for a check-up, and everything has been fine."