Increased rates of alcohol drinking were blamed today for a sudden surge in the number of people developing cancer in the mouth.
Rates of oral cancer have increased by about a quarter in the last ten years, according to Cancer Research UK.
About 5,000 Britons are diagnosed with the disease every year and some 1,800 people die from it.
Oral cancer can be contracted in the mouth or on the tongue or lips.
The disease is linked to tobacco, alcohol and the sexually transmitted virus HPV, which also causes cervical cancer.
Hazel Nunn, of Cancer Research UK, said the new figures were "really alarming".
She said: "Tobacco is, by far, the main risk factor for oral cancer, so it’s important that we keep encouraging people to give up and think about new ways to stop people taking it up in the first place.
"But for people in their 40s, it seems that other factors are also contributing to this jump in oral cancer rates.
"Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain’s continually rising drinking levels.
"It’s possible that HPV and diet are also playing a role, and the evidence, particularly for the role of HPV, is growing."
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