The Deadly Statistics

• Every hour of every day, one American dies of oral cancer.

• The mortality rate associated with oral cancer has not improved significantly in the last 40 years. In fact, recent statistics published by the American Cancer Society indicate that while the incidence and death rates for cancers overall have decreased, the incidence of oral cancer has increased by 5.5% and the death rate has increased by 1.5%.

• The death rate in the United States for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney, or ovarian cancer.

• More than 30,000 Americans will receive an oral cancer diagnosis this year. In five years, less than 57% will still be alive.

• 8,000 Americans will die each year of oral cancer.

Facts

Oral cancer is far too often detected in late-stage development — the primary reason for the high death rate. Oral cancer can have potentially disfiguring effects on patients, seriously compromising their quality of life. Early detection of abnormalities can make a large difference in life expectancy; oral cancer is 90% curable when found early. Unfortunately, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in the late stages, and 43% of those diagnosed will die within five years.