Types

Types of mouth cancer
The most common type of mouth cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. It develops from squamous cells - the flat, skin-like cells that cover the lining of the mouth. At least nine out of 10 mouth cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

Rarer types of mouth cancer include:

• salivary gland cancer - this type of cancer starts in the salivary gland cells, which are in the lining of the mouth and throat
• lymphoma - this type of cancer starts in lymph tissue, which is around the base of the tongue and tonsils
• melanoma - this is a type of skin cancer that starts in skin pigment cells around the mouth or on the lips.