Head and Neck Cancer

Understanding Lip and Mouth Cancer

Risk Factors For Lip and Mouth Cancer
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chances of developing a disease.

Although, heredity plays a factor, certain lifestyle habits and health conditions can increase a person’s risk for developing lip and mouth cancer.

The following risk factors appear to increase the risk of developing lip and mouth cancer:

Smoking

•	Tobacco can damage cells in the lining of the lip and mouth. Smoking includes cigarettes, pipes and chewing tobacco.
•	Chewing betel nuts and reverse smoking, a practice in several parts of the world, have also been found to cause lip and mouth cancer.
•	About 90 percent of people who develop lip and mouth cancer use some form of tobacco, according to the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Drinking too much alcohol

•	Tobacco can damage cells in the lining of the lip and mouth. Smoking includes cigarettes, pipes and chewing tobacco.
•	Chewing betel nuts and reverse smoking, a practice in several parts of the world, have also been found to cause lip and mouth cancer.

Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light

•	Too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun is accepted as a human carcinogen, causing all forms of skin cancer including cancer of the lip, according to the National Cancer Institute of Canada.
•	Tanning beds and lamps, like the sun, give out ultraviolet radiation, which can increase the risk for developing lip cancer.

Poor oral hygiene/ poor dental care

•	Chronic denture irritation from poorly fitting dentures can trap particles of tobacco and alcohol, and prolonged exposure to these known risks factors may further increase your risk of mouth cancer.

A lack of Vitamin A

•	Chronic inflammatory conditions of the mouth, such as lichen planus, can also be risk factors for mouth cancer.
•	Drugs used to weaken the immune system or help make sure that organ transplants are a success increase the chance of lip and mouth cancer.