Statistics About Oral Cancer

Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of getting cancer or of being cured. It is important to remember that this data shows what happens with large groups of people. Because no two people are alike, this information can't be used to know or predict what will happen to you.

The following are some 2012 statistics from the American Cancer Society about oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer:

• About 35,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancers this year.

• Men are more than twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with oral cancers.

• About two-thirds of oral cancers occur in patients older than 55.

• About 25 to 30 percent of oral cancers occur in the tongue; about 15 to 20 percent in the tonsils; and about 10 to 15 percent in the minor salivary glands.

Although the death rate from these cancers has been decreasing since the late 1970s, the American Cancer Society reports a recent increase in oropharyngeal cancer in white men younger than age 50. The increase is related to infection with human papillomavirus.