Does Alcohol Cause Oral Cancer?

There is an abundance of medical and statistical evidence that supports a strong connection between alcohol use and mouth and throat cancer. That evidence is even greater when the alcohol user, abuser or addict also smokes. According to emedicinehealth.com, 50,000 Americans contract oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer every year. Approximately 9,700 Americans die of these cancers annually.

Many Americans abuse alcohol and even though it is a legal substance, excessive alcohol use or abuse usually leads to serious social, health, career and financial problems. Alcohol can affect the user’s decision making capabilities and when the addict tries to stop, he or she will suffer painful withdrawal symptoms that can include:

• Tremors

• Confusion

• Hallucinations

• Seizures

• Other serious short-term effects

In some alcohol addicts, withdrawal can be life threatening unless the condition is professionally monitored. Unfortunately, many alcoholics have attempted to self-treat at some point in their lives.

But, the disease is compelling and self-treatment for alcoholism usually falls apart very rapidly. Alcohol addiction like other addictions is widely misunderstood. It is not a personal weakness but alcoholism is a brain disease that presents a host of medical issues, including mouth and throat cancer and other forms of cancer.

Medical professionals believe that heavy consumption of alcohol contributes to the following forms of cancer:

• Mouth

• Throat or pharynx

• Voice box or larynx

• Esophagus

• Liver

• Colon or rectum

• Breast

• Pancreas

• Stomach

Drinking and smoking together increase the risk of these cancers substantially. One reason is that alcohol enables the harmful chemicals in smoke to enter the cells that line the mouth, throat and esophagus. Alcohol also inhibits how these cells can repair the DNA that is damaged by the chemicals in tobacco.

It is believed that alcohol has surprising effects on the human body. Too much alcohol can add calories which will contribute to weight gain. Alcohol also increases estrogen levels in the body. Estrogen is essential for the growth and development of breast tissue in the human body and alcohol can increase a female’s risk of breast cancer.

The More One Drinks the Greater the Risk of Cancer

Experts make it clear that the more one drinks, the greater their chance of cancer. It does not seem to matter which specific types of alcohol the individual drinks. All types of alcohol are dangerous. Most alcohol users are familiar with some of the short –term effects such as:

• Mood swings

• Poor concentration

• Compromised judgment

• Poor coordination

These short-term effects are annoying and unnerving but not as dangerous as alcohol’s long-term risks which include mouth and throat cancer and other forms of cancer. Alcohol affects users differently so the risks vary from person to person.

We believe that alcohol reduces the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients. One of these nutrients is folate, which is a vitamin that body cells rely upon to stay healthy. Low levels of folate can increase the risk of cancer which is greater in heavy drinkers than in people who do not drink.

Increased Tolerance Raises the Risk of Cancer

For some people, alcohol is highly addictive. As the body’s tolerance for alcohol increases, the addict must drink more to achieve euphoria and relief. A viscous cycle sets in and resupply consumes the addict, coming ahead of career, family and friends.

We have all seen alcohol addicts at social events and we may work with someone who is addicted. While we may feel sorry for alcoholics, we tend to overlook the health risks they are harboring. The best help we can give an alcoholic is to help them get alcohol addiction treatment at a licensed rehab center. The alcoholic is powerless to help themselves and bad things like mouth and throat cancer and other cancers are likely to take hold.

In fact, heavy drinking can cause inflammation and heavy scarring in the liver. This usually leads to liver failure. But, alcohol can also cause damage to other organs, like the brain, the pancreas and raises the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. These are serious, life threatening health conditions.

Cancer of the Mouth and Throat

Oral cancer, or cancer of the mouth and cancer in the throat, oropharyngeal cancer, include both benign and malignant tumors. Benign tumors can grow and penetrate below the surface layer of tissue. These tumors do not metastasize and move to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors are extremely dangerous. Premalignant conditions describe cell changes that are not cancerous but which can become cancerous if left untreated.

Dysplasia is the term used to describe precancerous cell changes. Dysplasia is detected by biopsies of the lesion. When the cells are examined under a microscope, the severity of the cell can be determined and the probability of cancer can be decided. Dysplastic changes are described as mild, moderately severe or severe.

In the oropharynx, the two most common types of premalignant lesions are leukoplakia and erythroplakia. Leukoplakia lesions are whitish and appear on the tongue of inside the mouth. Usually, these can be scraped away by a physician without excessive bleeding but these lesions can cause irritability.

Erythroplakia is a raised red area. When scraped, these areas tend to bleed. Erythroplakia poses more severe risks than leukoplakia because these cells have greater risk of becoming cancerous if untreated.

Mixed red and whiter areas are known as erythroleukoplakia and also occur in the mouth as premalignant lesions. All these lesions can be detected during a regular visit to the dentist.

But other cancerous cells can also appear in the mouth. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer in the mouth and throat. Squamous cells form on the surfaces on the lining inside the mouth and invade deeper layers below the squamous layer. Not all cancer cells in the throat and mouth metastasize but when they do they usually spread first to the lymph nodes of the neck. From this point, they can spread to other areas of the human body.

Do you know someone who needs alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse treatment? We can help. Call today for a free and confidential alcohol, addiction consultation.