Oral C Oral Cancer

Causes and Symptoms & The Oral Cancer Exam 

What is oral cancer?

The term oral cancer includes cancers of the mouth and the pharynx (the back 

of the throat).

What puts someone at risk for developing oral cancer?

Tobacco and alcohol use. Most cases of oral cancer are linked to cigarette 

smoking, heavy alcohol use, or the use of both tobacco and alcohol together. 

Using tobacco plus alcohol poses a much greater risk than using either 

substance alone. 

HPV. Infection with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (specifically 

the HPV 16 type) has been linked to a subset of oral cancers. 

Age. Risk increases with age. Oral cancer most often occurs in people over 

the age of 40. 

Sun exposure. Cancer of the lip can be caused by sun exposure. 

Diet. A diet low in fruits and vegetables may play a role in oral 

cancer development. 

What are the possible signs and symptoms 

of oral cancer?

•	 A sore, irritation, lump or thick patch in the mouth, lip, or throat 

•	 A white or red patch in the mouth 

•	 A feeling that something is caught in the throat 

•	 Difficulty chewing or swallowing 

•	 Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue 

•	 Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth 

•	 Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable 

•	 Pain in one ear without hearing loss

A person who has any of these symptoms for more than 2 weeks should see a 

dentist or doctor for an oral cancer exam. Most often, symptoms like those listed 

above do not mean cancer. An infection or another problem can cause the same 

symptoms. But it’s important to have the symptoms checked out—because if it is 

cancer, it can be treated more successfully if it’s caught early.

What is the oral cancer exam?

An oral cancer examination can detect early signs of cancer. The exam is 

painless and takes only a few minutes. 

During the exam, a dentist or doctor checks the face, neck, lips, tongue, mouth, 

and the back of the throat for possible signs of cancer.
Additional Reading

Review articles on oral cancer

Cohan DM, Popat S, Kaplan SE, Rigual N, Loree T, Hicks WL Jr. Oropharyngeal 

Cancer: Current Understanding and Management. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head 

Neck Surg. 17(2):88–94, 2009. 

Crozier E, Sumer BD. Head and Neck Cancer. Med Clin North Am. 

94(5):1031–1046, 2010. 

Curado MP, Hashibe M. Recent Changes in the Epidemiology of Head and Neck 

Cancer. Curr Opin Oncol. 21(3):194–200, 2009. 

Mehanna H, Paleri V, West CM, Nutting C. Head and Neck Cancer—Part 1: 

Epidemiology, Presentation, and Prevention. BMJ 341:c4684, 2010. 

Mehanna H, West CM, Nutting C, Paleri V. Head and Neck Cancer—Part 2: 

Treatment and Prognostic Factors. BMJ 341:c4690, 2010. 

Tobacco and alcohol use & oral cancer

Baan R, Straif K, Grosse Y, Secretan B, El Ghissassi F, Bouvard V, Altieri A, 

Cogliana V; WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer Monograph 

Working Group. Carcinogenicity of Alcoholic Beverages. Lancet Oncol 

8(4):292–293, 2007. 

Goldstein BY, Chang SC, Hashibe M, La Vecchia C, Zhang ZF. Alcohol 

Consumption and Cancers of the Oral Cavity and Pharynx from 1988 to 2009: 

An Update. Eur J Cancer Prev. 19(6):431–465, 2010. 

International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monograph on the 

Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 83. Tobacco Smoke and 

Involuntary Smoking. Lyon, 2004. 

International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monograph on the 

Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 89. Smokeless Tobacco and 

Some Tobacco-specific N-Nitrosamines. Lyon, 2007. 

Lubin JH, Purdue M, Kelsey K, Zhang ZF, Winn D, Wei Q, Talamini R, SzeszeniaDabrowska N, Sturgis EM, Smith E, Shangina O, Schwartz SM, Rudnai P, Neto 

JE, Muscat J, Morgenstern H, Menezes A, Matos E, Mates IN, Lissowska J, 

Levi F, Lazarus P, La Vecchia C, Koifman S, Herrero R, Franceschi S, WünschFilho V, Fernandez L, Fabianova E, Daudt AW, Maso LD, Curado MP, Chen C, 

Castellsague X, Brennan P, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Hayes RB. Total Exposure 

and Exposure Rate Effects for Alcohol and Smoking and Risk of Head and 

Neck Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Case-control Studies. Am J Edidemiol. 

170(8):937–947, 2009. (Epub 9/10/2010). 

Pelucchi C, Gallus S, Garavello W, Bosetti C, La Vecchia C. Alcohol and Tobacco 

Use, and Cancer Risk for Upper Aerodigestive Tract and Liver. Eur J Cancer 

Prev. 17(4):340–344, 2008.

Oral Cancer Oral C

Causes and Symptoms & The Oral Cancer Exam 
HPV and oral cancer 

Allen CT, Lewis JS Jr., El-Mofty SK, Haughey BH, Nussenbaum B. 

Human Papillomavirus and Oropharynx Cancer: Biology, Detection and 

Clinical Implications. Laryngoscope 120(9):1756–1772, 2010. 

International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs on 

the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 90. Human 

Papillomaviruses. Lyon, 2007. 

Marur S, D’Souza G, Westra WH, Forastiere AA. HPV-associated Head and 

Neck Cancer: A Virus-related Cancer Epidemic. Lancet Oncol 11(8):781–789, 

2010. (Epub 05/05/2010). 

Stelow EB, Jo VY, Stoler MH, Mills SE. Human Papillomavirus-associated 

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract. Am J Surg Pathol. 

34(7):e15–24, 2010.

Age and oral cancer

Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, Neyman N, Aminou R, Waldron W, 

Altekruse SF, Kosary CL, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Cho H, Mariotto A, Eisner MP, 

Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA, Edwards BK (eds). SEER Cancer 

Statistics Review, 1975-2008, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, 

http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2008/, based on November 2010 SEER data 

submission, posted to the SEER web site, 2011.

Sun exposure and cancer of the lip

Silverman S Jr. Epidemiology. In: Oral Cancer. 3rd ed. Silverman S Jr. (ed). 

Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. 1989, 1–7. 

Diet and nutrition & cancer

Chainani-Wu N, Epstein J, Touger-Decker R. Diet and Prevention of Oral Cancer: 

Strategies for Clinical Practice. J Am Dent Assoc. 142(2):166–169, 2011. 

Davidson PG, Touger-Decker R. Chemopreventive Role of Fruits and Vegetables 

in Oropharyngeal Cancer. Nutr Clin Pract. 24(2):250–260, 2009. 

Lucenteforte E, Garavello W, Bosetti C, La Vecchia C. Dietary Factors 

and Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Risk. Oral Oncol. 45(6):461–467, 2009. 

(Epub 11/05/2008).

Oral Cancer 

Cancer Causes and Symptoms & The Oral Cancer Exam 
Oral C

For additional copies of this fact sheet contact:

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse

1 NOHIC Way

Bethesda, Maryland 

20892-3500

1-866-232-4528

http://www.nidcr.nih.gov

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Make as many copies as you need.

NIH Publication No: 12-6424

August 2012

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health