Oral cancer is by far the most common in the head and neck group, being found in nearly 50,000 Americans every year. Sadly, it claims the lives of some 9,500 yearly, and its 5-year survival rate is less than 60%. The reason it is so deadly is not, as with some cancers, that it is hard to detect or diagnose, but rather that it is regularly discovered late in its development. Often, this is after it has metastasized to another area. When caught early, it is usually quite treatable.