Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer can manifest in various areas of the mouth and throat, encompassing the tongue, tonsils, oropharynx, gums, floor of the mouth, lips, cheek lining, and hard palate. While it can affect anyone, men face a doubled likelihood compared to women in developing oral cancer. Men aged over 50, who heavily smoke and frequently consume alcohol, are particularly vulnerable. Other risk factors include exposure to UV radiation, gastro-intestinal reflux disease (GERD), previous head and neck radiation treatment, exposure to certain chemicals, and an unhealthy diet.
Despite a decrease in the mortality rate from oral cancer owing to improved early detection and treatment methods, there has been a recent surge in oropharyngeal cancer cases associated with the transmission of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).