Oral cancer is more common than often recognised, with around 750,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide each year, particularly in developing countries, and about half of patients dying within five years of diagnosis.

Major risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol consumption and HPV infection. The most common type, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), has a poor prognosis when detected late, but early detection and surgical treatment can result in up to 80% five-year survival.