IJCM_377A: Socio-demographic and clinical profile of Lip, Oral cavity and Pharyngeal cancer in an urban cancer centre in Coimbatore

Abstract

Background: Cancer ranks as a leading cause of death and a major barrier to increasing life expectancy in every country of the world. The incidence and demographic data of cancer are important for cancer prevention. Lip, oral cavity, and pharyngeal cancers (LOCP) has multiple risk factors and a varied geographic distribution. Objectives: This study aims to describe and compare the epidemiological and clinical profile of LOCP cancers. Methodology: Results: A total of 441 LOCP cases were recorded, of which most cases belonged to the age group of 51-70 years and male gender. The most common subtype among LOCP cancers is mouth (27%), followed by the tongue (25%). Histo-pathologically, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type contributing to 425 (96.5%) of cases. Nearly 267 patients (60.1%) were smokers, and 206 patients (46.7%) used alcohol whereas 266 patients (60.3%) used Smokeless tobacco products. Majority of the patients underwent a combination therapy of surgery and radiotherapy (69.6%). Conclusion: The increased incidence of LOCP cancer and its subtypes associated with smoking and tobacco points to the pivotal role of these risk factors in the pathogenesis of LOCP cancers. Hence better awareness and stringent measures are the need of the hour to decrease the ongoing burden of these cancer types.