Oral Cancer Is On the Rise—What Will You Do to Protect Yourself?

As we see more and more advancements in technology and medicine, we see a decrease in cancer rates and other severe medical conditions—for the most part. Unfortunately, oral cancer is seeing a steady increase…

This year, an additional 42,000 people across the United States will be diagnosed with oral cancer. We can predict this because in the past six years, we have seen nothing BUT an increase in the rate of occurrence of this cancer, with 100 people being diagnosed every day in the U.S. alone, and one person dying from it every hour.

Why the jump? The increased use of alcohol and tobacco certainly plays a role, but also, exposure to the HPV-16 virus is a major culprit. The Human Papilloma Virus version 16 is also responsible for a majority of cervical cancers in women.

Oral cancer can be an extremely dangerous condition. If not caught early on, it has a death rate of 43% at five years from diagnosis. However, if it is caught in the early stages, it has a 90% survival rate.

Watch this fun but educational rap (slash survival story) about how to spot oral cancer early on, and what to do if you think you might be at risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=448ah5QS4rY