Read press release Oral cancer Key Facts
Key messages on incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors (causes) and a summary table of the statistics for oral cancer are given here.
More comprehensive information and statistics for oral cancer is here: incidence, survival, mortality and risk factors (causes).
- Download these Key Facts Oral cancer Key Facts
The latest statistics available for oral cancer are; incidence 2010, mortality 2010, and survival 2005-2009. Source years are specified in the statistics table. Find out why these are the latest statistics available.
- Oral cancer is a group of cancers including cancer of the lip, tongue, mouth, oropharynx, piriform sinus, hypopharynx and other and ill-defined sites of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx.
section reviewed 16/07/12
section updated 16/07/12
- The most commonly diagnosed types of oral cancer are cancer of the mouth and cancer of the tongue.
- Around 6,500 people were diagnosed with oral cancer in 2010 in the UK, that’s 18 people every day.
- In 2010, around 4,300 men and 2,200 women were diagnosed with oral cancer.
- More than 4 in 10 oral cancer cases diagnosed in the UK occur in people aged 65 and over.
- Oral cancer incidence rates in the UK have risen by a third in the last decade.
- In Europe (EU-27) there were 12,300 new cases of cancer of the lip and oral cavity diagnosed in 2008.
- An estimated 400,000 new cases of cancer of the lip and oral cavity and pharynx were diagnosed across the world in 2008.
Read more in-depth oral cancer incidence statistics.
section reviewed 14/01/13
section updated 14/01/13
- More than 9 in 10 people diagnosed with cancer of the lip will survive the disease for at least five years.
- Around half of patients diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity will survive their disease for at least five years.
- Around half of patients diagnosed with cancer of the tongue will survive their disease for at least five years.
Read more in-depth oral cancer survival statistics.
section reviewed 22/02/12
section updated 16/07/12
- Almost 2,000 people died of oral cancer in 2010 in the UK, that’s around 5 people every day.
- In Europe (EU-27) in 2008 there were 13,600 deaths from cancer of the lip and oral cavity.
- Worldwide, in 2008 there were more than 127,000 deaths from cancer of the lip and oral cavity.
Read more in-depth oral cancer mortality statistics.
section reviewed 22/02/12
section updated 16/07/12
- Almost three-quarters of oral cancers in men and more than half in women in the UK are caused by smoking.
- More than a third of oral cancers in men and almost a fifth in women in the UK are linked to alcohol consumption.
- Using smokeless tobacco increases oral cancer risk.
- Betel quid is widely used in many parts of Asia and in some Asian communities in other regions. Chewing betel quid with or without tobacco increases oral cancer risk.
- Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) increases risk of oral cancer, particularly in the oropharynx.
- A diet rich in fruit and vegetables reduces oral cancer risk. More than half of oral cancer cases in the UK are linked to insufficient fruit and vegetable intake.
Read more in-depth oral cancer risk factors.
section reviewed 22/02/12
section updated 16/07/12
| ORAL CANCER STATISTICS | Males | Females | Persons | Country | Year3 |
| Number of new cases per year | 4,307 | 2,232 | 6,539 | UK | 2010 |
| Incidence rate per 100,000 population1 | 12.4 | 5.5 | 8.8 | ||
| Number of deaths per year | 1,323 | 662 | 1,985 | UK | 2010 |
| Mortality rate per 100,000 population1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 2.5 | ||
| One-year survival rate - oral cavity cancer2 | 47.2% | 55.4% | - | England & Wales | 1996-1999 |
| Five-year survival rate - lip cancer2 | 94.9% | 91.1% | - | ||
| Five-year survival rate - tongue cancer2 | 44.2% | 54.7% | - |
1. European age-standardised 2. Adults diagnosed 3. Latest statistics available
More detailed oral cancer statistics can be found using these links: incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors.
section reviewed 22/02/13
section updated 14/01/13
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