Each year, oral cancer kills more people in the United States than does cervical cancer, malignant melanoma, or Hodgkin’s disease. Oral cancers usually involve the tongue, lips, floor of the mouth, soft palate, tonsils, salivary glands, or back of the throat. Oral cancer has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates of all major cancers, partly because most lesions are not diagnosed until they are advanced. However, when detected early, the probability of surviving from oral cancer is remarkably better than for most other cancers. It is therefore important to know the risk factors for oral cancer, as well as their signs and symptoms.
