Prevention of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers

Not all cases of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer can be prevented, but the risk of developing these cancers can be greatly reduced by avoiding certain risk factors.

.tobacco and alcohol

-Limit exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light
Limit the time you spend outdoors during the middle of the day, when the sun's UV rays are strongest. If you are out in the sun, wear a wide-brimmed hat and use sunscreen and lip balm with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.

-Wear properly fitted dentures: Avoiding sources of oral irritation (such as dentures that do not fit properly) may also lower your risk for oral cancer.

Eat a healthy diet

A poor diet has been linked to oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, although it's not exactly clear what substances in healthy foods might be responsible for reducing the risk of these cancers.

In general, eating a healthy diet is much better than adding vitamin supplements to an otherwise unhealthy diet.

-The American Cancer Society recommends eating a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant foods.

-This includes eating at least 2½ cups of vegetables and fruits every day. Choosing whole-grain breads and cereals instead of refined grains, and eating fish, poultry, or beans instead of processed meat and red meat may also help lower your risk of cancer.

Avoid HPV infection

-The risk of HPV infection of the mouth and throat is increased in those who have oral sex and multiple sex partners.
-These infections are common and rarely cause symptoms. Although HPV infection is linked to oropharyngeal cancer, most people with HPV infections of the mouth and throat do not go on to develop this cancer.
-In recent years, vaccines that reduce the risk of infection with certain types of HPV have become available. These vaccines are only effective if given before someone is infected with HPV, which is why they are generally recommended before a person becomes sexually active.

-Most people who develop nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) have no avoidable risk factors, so their cancers could not have been prevented.

-The possible links with tobacco and heavy alcohol use are not clear, so it’s not known if avoiding these can lower a person’s risk of NPC. However, both tobacco and alcohol use have clearly been linked to a number of other cancers, as well as other health problems, so avoiding them can have many health benefits.

.Because certain dietary factors have been linked with NPC risk, reducing or eliminating some types of food (for eg. high in salt-cured fish and meat) may lower the number of cases

Prevention of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer

-Not all of these cancers can be prevented, but the risk can be greatly reduced by avoiding risk factors such as smoking and alcohol use, and by using safe work habits if you are around cancer-causing chemicals.

-Poor diet and a lack of some vitamins have been linked to these cancers. Eating a healthy, balanced diet may help lower your risk of these cancers and many others.

-Not all nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers can be prevented, but the risk of developing these cancers can be greatly reduced by avoiding certain risk factors, such as workplace exposures to certain substances.
-Wood dusts from carpentry (such as furniture and cabinet builders), sawmills, and other wood-related industries
-Dusts from textiles (textile plants)
-Leather dusts (shoemaking)
-Flour (baking and flour milling)
-Nickel and chromium dust
-Mustard gas (a poison used in -chemical warfare)
Radium (a radioactive element)
-If you are working with any of the substances listed above, it is important for you to find out if you are being protected from harmful exposure.

-Cigarette smoking is another avoidable risk factor for cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses.







-Most people with cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses have no known risk factors, so there is currently no way to prevent most of these cancers.

Prevention of salivary gland cancer

-Because we do not know what causes most salivary gland cancers, it is not yet possible to prevent all of them.
-Avoiding certain risk factors (tobacco, excessive alcohol use, unhealthy diets) may slightly lower the likelihood of developing salivary gland cancer.
-People who work with radioactive substances, silica dust, and nickel alloy dust should take precautions to protect themselves against exposure to these materials.

-People who are at risk of head and neck cancers―particularly those who use tobacco―should talk with their doctor about ways that they may be able to reduce their risk.

-They should also discuss with their doctor how often to have checkups.

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