Question: How to prevent Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer ?
Answer: Key Points - Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer. - The following are risk factors for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer: - Tobacco use - Alcohol use - Tobacco and alcohol use - Betel quid or gutka chewing - Personal history of head and neck cancer - The following is a risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer: - HPV infection - The following is a protective factor for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer: - Quitting smoking - It is not clear whether avoiding certain risk factors will decrease the risk of oral cavity cancer or oropharyngeal cancer. - Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer. - New ways to prevent oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer are being studied in clinical trials. Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer. Avoiding cancer risk factors may help prevent certain cancers. Risk factors include smoking, being overweight, and not getting enough exercise. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking and exercising may also help prevent some cancers. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about how you might lower your risk of cancer. Oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer are two different diseases, but they have some risk factors in common. The following are risk factors for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer: Tobacco use Using tobacco is the most common cause of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. The risk of these cancers is about 5 to 10 times higher for current smokers than for people who have never smoked. The use of all types of tobacco, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) can cause cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx. For cigarette smokers, the risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Alcohol use Using alcohol is also an important risk factor for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. The risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer increases with the number of alcoholic drinks consumed per day. The risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer is about twice as high in people who have 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks per day and 5 times higher in people who have 5 or more alcoholic drinks per day compared with those who don't drink alcohol. Tobacco and alcohol use The risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer is 2 to 3 times higher in people who use both tobacco and alcohol than it is in people who use only tobacco or only alcohol. The risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer is about 35 times higher in people who smoke 2 or more packs of cigarettes per day and have more than 4 alcoholic drinks per day than it is in people who have never smoked cigarettes or consumed alcohol. Betel quid or gutka chewing Chewing betel quid or gutka (betel quid mixed with tobacco) has been shown to increase the risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. Betel quid contains areca nut, which is a cancer-causing substance. The risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer increases with how long and how often betel quid or gutka are chewed. The risk for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer is higher when chewing gutka than when chewing betel quid alone. Betel quid and gutka chewing is common in many countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia, including China and India. Personal history of head and neck cancer A personal history of head and neck cancer increases the risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. The following is a risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer: HPV infection Being infected with certain types of HPV, especially HPV type 16, increases the risk of oropharyngeal cancer. HPV infection is spread mainly through sexual contact. The risk of oropharyngeal cancer is about 15 times higher in people who have oral HPV 16 infection compared with people who do not have oral HPV 16 infection. The following is a protective factor for oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer: Quitting smoking Studies have shown that when people stop smoking cigarettes, their risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer decreases by one half (50%) within 5 years. Within 20 years of quitting, their risk of oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer is the same as for a person who never smoked cigarettes. It is not clear whether avoiding certain risk factors will decrease the risk of oral cavity cancer or oropharyngeal cancer. It has not been proven that stopping alcohol use will decrease the risk of oral cavity cancer or oropharyngeal cancer. Getting an HPV vaccination greatly lessens the risk of oral HPV infection. It is not yet known whether getting an HPV vaccination at any age will decrease the risk of oropharyngeal cancer from HPV infection. Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer. Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to lower the risk of certain types of cancer. Some cancer prevention trials are done with healthy people who have not had cancer but who have an increased risk for cancer. Other prevention trials are done with people who have had cancer and are trying to prevent another cancer of the same type or to lower their chance of developing a new type of cancer. Other trials are done with healthy volunteers who are not known to have any risk factors for cancer. The purpose of some cancer prevention clinical trials is to find out whether actions people take can prevent cancer. These may include eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, quitting smoking, or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals, or food supplements. New ways to prevent oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer are being studied in clinical trials. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials can be found in the Clinical Trials section of the NCI website. Check NCI's list of cancer clinical trials for oral cavity cancer prevention trials and oropharyngeal cancer prevention trials that are now accepting patients.