Oral cancer rates double in under 50s

Nearly nine out of ten oral cancers in the under 50s are caused by smoking, alcohol and poor diet, according to a new study.

Each year, more than 10,000 people in the UK - and 100,000 in Europe - die from cancers of the mouth, oesophagus and larynx, also known as upper aerodigestive tract (UADT).

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen carried out a study to find out what factors were behind UADT cancers in the under 50s, as the biggest increase occurred in this age group.

The 5 year European study looked at 350 patients under the age of 50 with UADT cancers, and 400 people without disease.

Almost 88 per cent of UADT cancers were caused by smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol and/or a lack of fruit and vegetables in a person’s diet.

Gary Macfarlane, a professor of epidemiology who led the study said: “Cancers of the upper aero-digestive tract are on the increase throughout the world and to date the increases have been greatest in young adults under the age of 50.

“For example, we have witnessed a doubling of oral cancer rates in 40 to 49 year old men in the UK over the last twenty years.”

“Our findings confirmed that smoking tobacco, heavy alcohol consumption and a lack of fruit and vegetable in a person’s diet remained the most important causes of cancers of the UADT.

“The results of our study further emphasise that the message we need to be communicating to the public remains the same — that smoking, drinking and diet are the major triggers of these diseases at all ages.”

He also added that the increase in UADT cancers in this particular age group was likely to be linked to the increase in levels of alcohol consumption. Further research will find out whether binge drinking puts people at an even higher risk, he said.

This article was published on Wed 6 October 2010