Incidences of mouth cancer The latest figures show that 10,825 people in the UK are diagnosed with mouth cancer a year. This means that one person in the UK is diagnosed with mouth cancer every hour. Mouth cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK. In men, mouth cancer is the 9th most common cancer in the UK, with around 7.206 new cases a year. In women, mouth cancer is the 15th most common cancer in the UK, with around 3,619 new cases a year. Most mouth cancers occur in the tongue. These make up around 31% of cases for men and women. Mouth cancer is strongly associated with age. More than 81% mouth cancers are diagnosed in those over the age of 55. Manage Cookie Preferences