The impact of oral cancer: raising awareness through art

The rise of oral cancer cases in the UK has shown an alarming upward trajectory in recent years. In 2024 alone, a total of 10,825 new cases have been diagnosed. This represents a staggering increase of 38% over the past decade and a 133% increase compared to 20 years ago.1 According to the State of Mouth Cancer Report 2024, roughly 68% of oral cancer cases are diagnosed in men and around 64% of diagnosed oral cancers were found in individuals older than 60 years of age.2 The key risk factors have been identified as alcohol consumption and tobacco use which could contribute towards approximately 75% of identified cases. People who smoke cigarettes have been shown to be at a roughly ten times higher risk of developing oral cancer compared to non-smokers.3 In addition, the human papillomavirus (HPV) type-16 and 18 are linked to around three-in-four (73%) of oropharyngeal cancers and more than one-in-ten (12%) oral cavity and hypopharynx cancers.4 On a personal level, most of us have close friends or relatives that have been affected by a cancer diagnosis of some form, or are currently undergoing treatment for cancer.