Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of head and neck cancers (HNCs), their risk factors, signs and symptoms among the general public of Karachi, Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachInitially, 503 individuals were approached for data collection, out of which 404 fit the inclusion criteria (response rate = 80.03%). Nonprobability convenience sampling was utilized to select participants who fell under the age group of 15–60 years, barring the fields of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelors of Dentistry (BDS). Knowledge was evaluated by a 9-item questionnaire, the scores of which yielded the following interpretations: No (0), low (1–3), moderate (4–6) and high (7–9) knowledge.FindingsOf the 404 participants who completed the questionnaire, 357 (88.4%) participants claimed to be aware of HNC. The HNC knowledge scores had a statistical relevance with socioeconomic status (p = <0.01) and level of education (p = 0.02). Most participants recognized a “lump or swelling in the throat” (87.1%) as the most common symptom, followed by “bleeding in mouth or throat” (84.7%). Surprisingly, 75.25% of participants thought HNCs were inclusive of brain cancer.Originality/valueOverall, knowledge of HNCs among the general public of Karachi surpasses the knowledge in other regions around the world. Our study demonstrated that people indulge in unhealthy habits despite having sufficient knowledge and this warrants prompt interventions and counseling of the people.
Highlights
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) refer to a group of benign and malignant neoplastic lesions that affect the upper aero-digestive tract, namely the nasopharynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx, lip, oral cavity and larynx
The stage of disease at the time of diagnosis was found to have a grave impact on the survival rate; in stages I and II, a 60% to 95% cure is achieved with local resection alone, while advanced stages have a risk of greater than 50% chance of recurrence and metastasis [6]
Knowledge assessment Altogether, 357 (88.4%) participants were found to be aware of HNCs
Summary
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) refer to a group of benign and malignant neoplastic lesions that affect the upper aero-digestive tract, namely the nasopharynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx, lip, oral cavity and larynx. The most pervasive variety of HNC, squamous cell carcinoma, is documented to be the culprit in 90% of the cases and culminates in a 3-year survival rate of about 57% in smokers [1]. HNC is ranked sixth among all cancers in terms of incidence, with approximately 630,000 new patients per year and causes more than 350,000 deaths annually. Epidemiological reviews of HNC across Pakistan shows a marked incidence, being 21% in males and 11% in females [2]. The risk factors leading to this deadly malady are smoking and undue consumption of alcohol, tobacco, betel nut and betel quid. An epidemiological study conducted amongst the citizens of Pakistan revealed the percentage contribution of the components to the development of HNCs; yielding a risk of 66.8%, 42.8% and 75% due to smoking, alcohol and betel nut respectively. In the year 2008 alone, 260,000 cases of HNC were diagnosed, with Asia having the highest prevalence of HNC [8]
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