Causes

Who is more likely to get mouth cancer

It's not always clear what causes mouth cancer.

You may be more likely to get mouth cancer if:

you smoke or chew tobacco, betel nut or paan
you drink a lot of alcohol
you have leukoplakia
you've been exposed to a lot of sunlight or sunbeds, which can cause skin cancer affecting the lips
you've had cancer before
you have a weakened immune system, for example, you have HIV or AIDS, or take immunosuppressant medicine

Mouth cancer has also been linked to having changes in your genes and having some types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in your mouth.

How to lower your risk of mouth cancer

You cannot always prevent mouth cancer, but there are things you can do to lower your chance of getting it.

Do

eat a healthy diet, including 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
exercise regularly
try to cut down on alcohol and avoid drinking more than 14 units a week
try to quit smoking
try to quit chewing tobacco, betel nut or paan

It's important to get any symptoms of mouth cancer checked by a doctor or dentist.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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