Oral cancer is not something we hear a lot about; however, an estimated 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year – over 130 cases are diagnosed daily. It claims almost 10,000 lives annually. Oral cavity cancer, or just oral cancer, is cancer that starts in the mouth (also called the oral cavity). Oropharyngeal cancer starts in the oropharynx. This is the part of the throat just behind the mouth. Most cancers that form here are a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. But other types of cancer, and other benign growths and tumors, can also form. While smoking and tobacco use ...