Rates of mouth cancer have rocketed 68 percent in the UK in the least 20 years, according to new data released by Cancer Research UK.

The figures also show that this type of cancer is on the rise for men and women of all ages, climbing from eight to 13 cases per 100,000 people over the last two decades.

For men under 50, the rate has jumped by 67 percent, going up from around 340 cases to around 640 cases a year, while for those over this age, cases have leapt 59 percent to 4,400.

A similar picture has also emerged for women: in under 50s, annual oral cancer rates have surged 71 percent to 300, while for the over 50s it has jumped 71 percent to around 2,200.

The charity stressed that 90 percent of cases are linked to lifestyle and other risk factors. Around 65 precent of cases are linked to smoking, but other risk factors include alcohol, diets low in fruit and vegetables, and infections with the Human Papilloma Virus.