One in three cases of oral cancer are due to smokeless tobacco, study reveals

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with contribution from Karolinska Institutet, has revealed that one in three cases of oral cancer globally is linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use.

In 2022, more than 120,000 cases of oral cancer were caused by these risk factors, accounting for one-third of oral cancer cases globally.

Titled “Global burden of oral cancer in 2022 attributable to smokeless tobacco and areca nut consumption: a population attributable fraction analysis” the paper, published in The Lancet Oncology, highlights that nearly 9 in 10 (88%) of all oral cancer cases caused by smokeless tobacco and areca nut use occurred in South-Central Asia and more than 95% (96.4%) occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

Cecilia Magnusson, adjunct professor at the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet, who played a crucial role in analyzing data and identifying the regional impact of these risk factors in Europe, emphasizing the need for targeted public health interventions. This collaboration underscores the importance of global health and cancer prevention efforts.

“It is interesting to note that the proportion in northern Europe is very low, as ‘Swedish snus’ does not seem to be linked to oral cancer. The results are of great importance both from a global health perspective and in terms of the health of migrants,” says Cecilia Magnusson, co-author of the publication.

Globally, an estimated 300 million people use smokeless tobacco and 600 million people use areca nut. The highest rates of use are found in South-Central Asia, South-East Asia, and Melanesia. Smokeless tobacco products are consumed without burning and can be chewed, sucked, inhaled, applied locally, or ingested.

Areca nut is the seed of the areca palm and is consumed in various forms, with or without smokeless tobacco, including in betel quid, or on its own.