Oral cancer after using Swedish snus (smokeless tobacco) for 70 years – a case report

Whereas the smoking habit has declined significantly in Sweden in recent decades, there has been a marked increase in the consumption of 'snus' (oral moist snuff). The use of this smokeless tobacco, exposing the user locally to carcinogenic nitrosamines, raises the question - will the increasing use of snuff eventually lead to a greater incidence of oral cancer? We report the case of a 90-year-old man who developed a localized squamous cell carcinoma in the gingival fold under the upper lip, at the exact place where he had regularly placed loose oral snuff for 70 years. Although this is a reminder of a prevailing cancer risk, the time frame indicates that the risk is slight. This is consistent with recent epidemiological reports regarding the minor risk of snuff-associated cancer in the Scandinavian countries.