What Are the Survival Rates for Oral Cancer?

Each year, about 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer. About one-quarter of them will die from the disease.¹

People whose oral cancer is found at an early stage have the best prognosis, or outlook.^1,2 During the last 30 years, survival rates from oral cancer have risen steadily.³ According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research:

• The five-year survival rate for all stages combined is 60 percent. In other words, 60 percent of people with oral cancer will survive for five years.³

• The five-year survival rate for localized cancer is 82 percent.³

• African-American men and women have lower survival rates than white men and women.³

Getting regular dental visits can help detect oral cancer at its earliest—and most treatable—stage.¹ Not smoking or drinking too much alcohol can help lower your risk of developing oral cancer.¹

¹ “Oral Cancer.” American Dental Association. www.ada.org/2607.aspx Accessed 2010.

² “Oral Cancer.” American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org/downloads/PRO/OralCancer.pdfAccessed 2010.

³ “Oral Cancer Five-Year Survival Rates by Race, Gender, and Stage of Diagnosis.” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, April 1, 2008. www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/OralCancer/OralCancer5YearSurvivalRates.htm Accessed 2010.