One-third of oral cancer cases worldwide are closely related to smokeless tobacco use and betel quid chewing

Currently, there are about 300 million people using smokeless tobacco and 600 million people using betel nut in the world. The highest usage rates are in South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Smokeless tobacco products do not require burning and can be used by chewing, sucking, smearing and other methods. Betel nut is the fruit of the betel nut tree and can be used together with smokeless tobacco or alone through betel nut chewing blocks or betel nut fruit.

The dangers of smokeless tobacco and betel nut

Studies have shown that the harm of betel nut is particularly serious. Compared with the use of smokeless tobacco alone, the use of betel nut products (regardless of whether they contain tobacco) leads to a higher proportion of oral cancer cases and has a more serious impact on oral health.

The first author of the study, Ramge of the Cancer Detection Department of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, emphasized that smokeless tobacco and betel nut products come in various forms, but these products are closely related to a variety of diseases such as oral cancer, and have imposed a huge burden on global medical care. Prevention strategies to reduce the consumption of smokeless tobacco and betel nut are crucial.

Regional differences

The research results show that of the nearly 400,000 cases of oral cancer worldwide in 2022, more than 120,000 cases may be caused by the use of smokeless tobacco and betel quid. Therefore, if the use of smokeless tobacco and betel quid can be prevented, about one-third of oral cancer cases can be avoided.

The study pointed out that more than 95% of oral cancer cases caused by the use of smokeless tobacco and betel nut occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Among them, Central and South Asia has become the main high-incidence area for oral cancer cases, with India, Bangladesh and Pakistan as the main countries, followed by Southeast Asia and East Asia.

Looking at the ratio of oral cancer cases to smokeless tobacco and betel quid use in different regions of the world, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia have the highest proportion of oral cancer caused by smokeless tobacco and betel quid, followed by South Central Asia and Southeast Asia. The high proportion of oral cancer cases in these regions is mainly due to the high frequency of smokeless tobacco and betel quid use.

Gender differences