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Growing numbers of 40-somethings are developing mouth, lip and tongue cancer because they drink too much alcohol, Cancer Research UK warns today.
Diagnoses of oral cancer have gone up by 28% among men in their 40s and 24% among women the same age since the mid-1990s. The charity says tobacco does not explain the rise, as it takes up to 30 years to cause cancer. Instead it blames rising alcohol consumption.
Alcohol campaigners responded by calling for cans and bottles to carry cigarette-style health warnings which spell out the risks of drinking too much as a way of reversing the trend.
"These latest figures are really alarming", said Hazel Nunn, the charity's health information manager. Three-quarters of cases of oral cancer are caused by either smoking or drinking alcohol, tobacco being the single biggest risk. "For people in their 40s, it seems that other factors are also contributing to this jump in oral cancer rates. Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain's continually rising drinking levels," she said. Eating too little fruit and vegetables are also partly to blame for the growth of the HPV virus, which also causes cervical cancer, Nunn said.
Each year about 5,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer and about 1,800 die from it. It can be treated successfully if caught early. Warning signs include ulcers, sores, red or white patches in the mouth lasting more than three weeks and unexplained mouth or ear pain.
Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "These figures demonstrate once again that people are being struck down at ever younger ages with alcohol-related illnesses … There is an urgent need to rethink how we communicate the risks of misuse. The most logical way of getting this across would be through standard warning labels as they do with tobacco products."
Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "Many people are not aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer, yet as this research shows, it can be a major contributor or cause of the disease. While alcoholic liver disease remains the number one killer linked to alcohol, more and more people are suffering from oral cancers – and record drinking levels have undeniably played a part."
Some 41% of cancers of the mouth in Britain could be prevented if no one drank, the World Cancer Research Fund estimated. Regular visits to the dentist can help spot warning signs.
"英国癌症研究"（Cancer Research UK）慈善组织今天警告说，由于过量喝酒，越来越多的40多岁中年人开始患有口腔癌、嘴唇癌及舌癌。
自上世纪90年代中期以来，口腔癌确诊病例在40多岁男性中攀升了28%,而在同年龄段的女性中则上升了24%.该慈善机构表示，这个攀升不是由于吸烟的缘故，因为那需要长达30年才会导致癌症。相反，该机构将之归咎于酒类消费的不断增长。
节酒运动人士对此做出回应，要求各种酒罐和酒瓶标注有香烟式的健康警告，清楚地说明过量饮酒的风险，以期扭转这一趋势。
该慈善机构的健康信息经理哈泽尔·纳恩（Hazel Nunn）说："这些最新数据确实令人震惊。" 四分之三的口腔癌病例是由于吸烟或饮酒而引起的，而吸烟是其中最大的单个风险因素。她说："对于40多岁的人来说，其他因素似乎也促使了口腔癌发病率的这一增长。自1950年代以来，酒类消费增加了一倍，而我们目前所看到的这一趋势，很可能与英国酒类消费水平的不断上升有关。"纳恩指出，水果和蔬菜吃得太少，也是人类乳突病毒（HPV virus）感染增加的部分原因，而这种病毒也会导致子宫颈癌。
每年约有5000人被诊断为口腔癌患者，其中大约1800人因此病故。如果及早发现，口腔癌是可以治疗成功的。警报症状包括溃疡、皮炎，口腔里出现持续时间达三周以上的红斑或白斑，以及原因不明的嘴疼或耳疼。
英国皇家内科医师学会（Royal College of Physicians）主席伊恩？吉尔摩（Ian Gilmore）说："这些数据再次表明，人们在比以前更为年轻的年龄时，就患上与酒精有关的疾病…现在迫切需要重新思考：我们该如何有效告知大众过度饮酒的危害。有效传达的最合理方式就是，像烟草产品一样，在酒类产品上贴上标准的警示标签。"
" 酒精关注"（Alcohol Concern）机构总裁唐？申克（Don Shenker）说："许多人没有意识到酒精和癌症之间的联系，然而，正如这一研究表明，酒精可以是造成该疾病的主要原因。虽然酒精性肝病仍然是与酒精相关的第一大致死疾病，然而越来越多的人开始患上口腔癌--无疑，创记录的饮酒消费对此起着作用。
世界癌症研究基金会（World Cancer Research Fund）估计，如果没人饮酒的话，英国约有41%的口腔癌可以避免。定期看牙医有助于发现警报症状。
