Oral cancer - which occurs in any part of the mouth - is one of the most common cancers in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and other parts of South Asia. But diagnosing the disease is hampered by the fact that there are very few dentists in these areas.

Metformin , a drug used to control type 2 diabetes, has been in the news a great deal lately because it appears to have anti-cancer qualities. A number of cancers seem to respond to metformin , with the latest being oral cancer.

While smoking tobacco has declined recently, the use of smokeless tobacco - sometimes called snuff - has been increasing since 2009. This tobacco is without question less harmful than cigarettes, but is by no means safe.  Scientists now know why.

Drinking too much alcohol, smoking too much tobacco and now being infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are known risk factors for throat cancer. A newly identified gene also plays a role.

Part of the reason head and neck cancers are tough to treat is that the tumors sometimes become resistant to both radiation therapy (radiotherapy) and chemotherapy. A research team in Germany is working to overcome this problem.

Since 2006, doctors have recommended that girls and young women receive vaccinations against human papillomavirus virus ( HPV ), primarily to prevent cervical cancer. Boys are now being urged to have these vaccines to prevent other forms of cancer.

Head and neck cancers are one of the forms of the disease that are increasing. Recent studies have shown that nature may have an excellent treatment for these cancers.

The human papillomavirus ( HPV ) doesn't just cause cervical cancer in women. It also causes oral cancers in both women and men. Researchers now have solid demographic information.

One of the biggest fears a cancer patient faces is spread of the disease. Metastasis is never a good thing, but it's usually hard to predict which cancers will travel. Researchers are solving this mystery in throat cancer.

A single drug can have many uses. This is certainly the case for Avastin ( bevacizumab ), which is widely used to treat a number of different kinds of cancer. The drug may protect against the spread of yet another.