Report Finds Younger People With Oral Cancer

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by Dwayne T. Ervin

Agrowing number of adults have contractedoral cancer from oral sex,excessive alcohol and tobacco use in arecent study.

Mouth cancer occurs when cells onyour lips or in your mouth developchanges (mutations) in their DNA.These mutations allow cancer cells togrow and divide when healthy cellswould die. The accumulating mouthcancer cells can form a tumor, accordingto Mayo clinic.com.

The Journal of Clinical Oncologyreported in February 2008 that therewas an increase of oral cancer linked tooral sex among reported from 1973 to2004. This has come from people whohad a history of a number of lifetimesex partners, oral sex, and a history ofsexually transmitted diseases that leadto human papillomavirus (HPV.)The Journal of Clinical Oncologyreported that HPV increased amongblack men during 1973 to 1987, butamong women the virus decreased during1973 to 2004. The incidents werelower for ages 55 to 59 years.

The journal concluded that HPV relatedcases had increased nationwideform 1973 to 2004 due to a change insexual behaviors, which included anincrease in premarital sex, and thenumber of lifetime sex partners. HPVincreased because of change in sexbehaviors during the 1960s.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy hadimproved the survival rate for peoplediagnosed with oral cancer.Illinois Department of Public Healthreported that 2,887 black males from1986 to 2005 were diagnosed with oralcancer in the oral cavity (the moutharea) and pharynx (in the throat). Blackwomen had a lower count in Illinois of1,079 from 1986 to 2005.

According to a fact sheet from IllinoisDepartment of Public Health division of oral health, Oral cancer will befound in an estimated 30,000Americans this year and will causeclose to 8,000 deaths. More than 90percent of all oral cancers are found inpeople 45 years of age or older andmen are twice more likely to developcan cancer than women and it occursmore often in African Americans thanwhites.

One of the other causes of oral cancerhigh exposure to the sun leads to lipcancer.

Some of the symptoms of oral cancerare a sore in the mouth that bleeds easily,a lump or thick spot on the cheek, awhite patch or red patch on the gums,tongue or anywhere in the mouth, orsoreness. Other symptoms are a feelingthat something is caught in the throat,difficulty moving your jaw or tongue,and numbness of the tongue or otherparts of the mouth.

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