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Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk by 75%

May 15th, 2008 · No Comments

oral cancer riskWine is good for the heart, they say, but two glasses of an alcoholic beverage each day can increase the risk of oral cancer, as well as breast, bowel, and throat cancer, by 75%. In the UK, health experts are working hard to encourage smoking cessation, as well. As of September 30, 2008, gruesome photos of the effects of oral and throat cancer are being posted on every pack of cigarettes. Tobacco and alcohol are primary risk factors for acquiring oral cancer.

How many people actually have oral cancer? You’ll find this startling statement on the Oral Cancer Foundation website:

“More than 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day. Of those 34,000 newly diagnosed individuals, only half will be alive in 5 years. This is a number which has not significantly improved in decades.” It continues to tell us that if we include throat cancer in the numbers, 41000 cases are diagnosed and 12500 die annually in the US alone. Globally, 400,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.”

Dentists offer a frontline of defense for patients. With a manual oral cancer exam during six-month checkups, a dentist can detect oral cancer before it spreads. Recent tools, such as ViziLite and VELscope offer even earlier detection. With these innovative tools, dentists can questionable cells before they surface, which can increase the potential for cure by 80%. Learn more about VELscope and ViziLite at their websites.

Here in the US, Dr. Blaze, the editor of Dental Economics, appealed to his fellow dentists to promote oral cancer awareness. The January 2008 issue of DE included an editor’s note explaining Dr. Blaze’s intention and inviting readers to join him. See the note at the DE website.

SOURCE:

Dentistry UK http://www.dentistry.co.uk/news/news_detail.php?id=1239

ABC http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/08/2238459.htm

Tags: Clinical