For years, even as tobacco use began to decline and disappear in most settings, professional baseball seemed one of the few exceptions. Now, the tide is finally turning. Recently, the legendary right-hand pitcher Curt Schilling revealed that he had been treated for oral cancer — and said that his chewing tobacco habit was to blame. “I’ll go to my grave believing that was why I got [cancer],” Schilling told the Boston Globe. Schilling isn’t the […]
While genetics certainly plays a role in a person’s susceptibility to various forms of cancer (including oral cancer), there are lifestyle factors that also play a role. In the case of developing oral cancer, there are a number of prominent lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce your risk: protect yourself from too much sun exposure; avoid the use of any type of tobacco (smoke and smokeless); limit your intake of alcoholic beverages to […]
Oral cancer accounts for approximately 3% of cancers in men and 2% in women. That may not sound like a lot, but the disease often isn’t detected until it has progressed to its later stages when it’s harder to treat and the outlook for survival is significantly diminished. The main areas where oral carcinomas (cancers) occur are: the tongue (most common location, particularly the sides and underneath) the lip (especially the lower one), the oral […]
Let’s talk about oral cancer. Yes, it’s a scary subject — but the truth is, the more you know about it, the better able you are to protect yourself. Who is more likely to get oral cancer? Because of your genetic disposition — heredity — men are twice as likely to develop oral cancer as women. African-Americans have a higher incidence than Caucasians. The disease is also related to aging, although in recent years many […]