Fifth highest oral cancer rate in SL

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Two deaths occur daily due to oral cancer while between 1,500 and 2,000 new oral cancer patients are diagnosed in Sri Lanka annually, doctors said yesterday.

"Sri Lanka has the world's fifth highest oral cancer rate. Oral cancer is the most common cancer among Sri Lankan males," they said.

Addressing a special seminar on oral cancer at the Health Education Bureau, Colombo, the specialist doctors said leading risk factors for oral cancer are chewing betel, smoking and alcohol and poor oral hygiene.

"If a person chews betel more than thrice day, he is at a risk of developing oral cancer. Labourers and bus and three wheeler drivers are among the high risk group," they said.

Early detection of oral potentially malignant disorders (pre - cancer) and effective intervention lead to total cure of oral cancer.

The government spends Rs one million to cure a patient with oral cancer, the doctors said.

Oral cancer can be prevented by eating fruit and vegetables and drinking tea. Oral cancer is common among the rural community.

White or red painless patches in the mouth that last for a long period, incurable wounds in the mouth and sores are the symptoms of oral cancer.