KANDY, Sri Lanka — A 17-year-old schoolboy in Sri Lanka developed oral cancer after chewing areca nut, a senior dental researcher said, warning that packaged, flavoured versions of the nut sold near schools were exposing children to one of the main causes of the disease.
Professor Ruwan Jayasinghe, director of the Centre for Research in Oral Cancer at the University of Peradeniya, said he had seen the boy himself. He said younger students were also arriving for treatment with conditions that can precede cancer.
“If this trend continues, we will see oral cancer becoming increasingly common among schoolchildren in the future,” he said.
Professor Jayasinghe spoke at an awareness programme organised by the centre, alongside Professor Shyam Banneheka, dean of the university’s Faculty of Dental Sciences. At the event, two public figures, Narada Bakmeewewa and Thanuja Jayawardena, were appointed as ambassadors to promote prevention and early detection.
Cancers of the mouth and surrounding areas are the most common cancers among Sri Lankan men and the second most common nationally, Professor Banneheka said. He said three people die of these cancers in Sri Lanka each day, and that the country spends billions of rupees a year on treatment and rehabilitation.
“Oral cancer is a national problem in this country,” he said.
The professors did not give figures on how many children had been diagnosed with cancer or precancerous conditions, how those numbers had changed, or how widely the products are used across the country. They said their warnings were based on cases seen at the university’s dental hospital and on research conducted by the university.
Areca nut is chewed across South Asia, usually wrapped in betel leaf as betel quid and sometimes mixed with tobacco. The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classifies it as a cause of cancer in humans. Professor Banneheka said areca nut was the main cancer-causing ingredient in betel quid, followed by tobacco, and that the combination of the two was especially dangerous.
The researchers said their concern now extends beyond the traditional habit among adults. Flavoured areca nut, sold in small, ready-to-use packets, has become popular among schoolchildren and young people, Professor Banneheka said.
“The younger generation is consuming these products more than the older generation,” he said.
A survey by Peradeniya researchers found many shops near schools selling areca nut and related products, he said. Boys appeared especially prone to developing a regular habit, and doctors at the dental hospital had identified numerous schoolchildren with precancerous conditions.
Sri Lanka has banned the sale of betel quid containing tobacco, along with other tobacco products, according to Professor Banneheka, and has prohibited betel chewing inside state institutions. He said enforcement was weak, in part because betel, areca nut and tobacco are deeply rooted in local custom.
“If the law were properly enforced, those selling these products should be arrested,” he said, referring to products whose sale is already banned.
Those restrictions apply to products containing tobacco. The researchers did not say whether flavoured areca nut sold without tobacco falls under the same ban.
Professor Jayasinghe also rejected claims made by some drivers that chewing betel quid with areca nut and tobacco keeps them awake on long journeys. Other users, he noted, say the same products help them sleep.
“How can the same substance both prevent sleep and induce sleep?” he said.
Professor Banneheka said the university planned to expand public education alongside its treatment and research work, and that the two ambassadors had volunteered for the role.
“This is a disease that can easily be prevented and one that must be prevented,” he said.
