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Head & Neck Oncology Program

Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer

Risk Factors

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 35,310 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral cavity and oropharyngeal (the part of the throat behind the mouth) cancers in 2008. Many of these cancers will be diagnosed in the tongue (10,140 new cases), the mouth (10,820 new cases), and the pharynx (12,410 new cases).

Cancers of the lip and oral cavity are most common in people who smoke and/or who drink alcohol frequently. As many as 90 percent of people who have oral cavity cancer use tobacco, and about 75-85 percent of patients with oral cavity cancer drink alcohol frequently. The use of any type of tobacco increases the risk of cancer, but smokeless tobacco users are at particular risk.

Cancer of the lip is more common in men than in women, and it is more likely to develop in people with light-colored skin who have been in the sun a lot. Oral cavity cancer is also more common in men and the risk of developing the disease increases with age.

This page was last updated on: April 3, 2009.

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