Alcohol and genes link to rising rate of oral cancers

GENES as well as bad lifestyle habits can play a role in the development of oral cancers, scientists revealed yesterday.

Cancers of the mouth, gums, throat and lips are increasing across the UK, particularly in Scotland, with its high rates of smoking and alcohol consumption.

Now researchers have found that genetic variations influence how quickly the body breaks down alcohol, which in turn may affect the chances of oral cancer.

More than 600 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed in Scotland each year.

The latest research, published in Nature Genetics, involved 3,800 patients with oral cancers and cancers of the larynx and oesophagus.

The researchers, including Dr Tatiana Macfarlane from Aberdeen University, found that people with a variant in the genes ADH1B and ADH7 appeared to be less susceptible to oral cancers because the differences led to alcohol being broken down quicker by the body.

Dr Macfarlane said: "These results provide the strongest evidence yet that alcohol consumption is strongly linked to oral cancers."