Media Ambitions has worked with the Mouth Cancer Foundation for two years and is now responsible for the charities entire PR campaigns. In its very early stages, Mouth Cancer can be almost invisible making it easy to ignore. An increasing number of cases are being seen in young people. Drinking and smoking increases the risk of mouth cancers and students are being warned against binge drinking and smoking. Individuals indulging in both face a 30 times greater risk than abstainers. The rates of mouth cancers have increased fastest in men in their 40’s and 50’s who started smoking and drinking as students. The other fastest rising rates were seen among women in their early 30’s perhaps reflecting increasing levels of alcohol consumption. Mouth Cancer kills 1 in 2 people due to late detection. This increase in a cancer that is often difficult to treat and sometimes debilitating and disfiguring, is alarming.

At least three-quarters of mouth cancers could be prevented by stopping smoking and reducing alcohol. The most common signs of mouth cancer are sores, ulcers, red or white patches and unexplained pain in the mouth or ear. Other less common symptoms include a lump in the neck, a persistent sore throat or trouble swallowing.

Mouth cancers have a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or skin melanoma. The mortality rate from mouth cancer is just over 50% due to late detection. These are the shocking facts from the Mouth Cancer Foundation who are determined to raise awareness for the cancer about which little is known. That is where our PR team helps out.