Mouth Cancer – how does alcohol increase the risk?

One of the leading causes of mouth cancer in the UK is alcohol, as it is a carcinogenic.

This means it contains chemicals that can damage the DNA in cells and lead to cancer. If you drink alcohol this increases your risk of mouth cancer.

Alcohol is linked to just under a third (30%) of all mouth cancers. In this video, NHS consultant Peter Davis from the Northern Cancer Alliance, explains how drinking alcohol increases the risk of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer and mouth cancer and what you can do to reduce the risk.