Oral cancer in women: A study of the increasing incidence

Abstract

1. 1. An increase in the incidence of oral cancer in women is demonstrated by a study of the records of the Cook County Hospital and the Research and Educational Hospitals of the University of Illinois. 2. 2. Other investigators have found a similar trend. 3. 3. This increased incidence in women is associated with an increasing use of tobacco by women and suggests a causal relationship. 4. 4. A long duration of exposure to the use of tobacco prior to onset of symptoms is a consistent finding. 5. 5. If a degree of prevention of oral cancer is to be achieved, physicians must advocate a program which will: (1) educate their patients to avoid harmful habits such as smoking, to seek early advice and aid if any abnormality is suspected and to practice self-examination of the oral cavity (similar to the self-examination of the breasts which is taught to women); and (2) help to discover and remove or correct noxious influences such as neglected oral hygiene, chronic dental infection and inflammation, mechanical, thermal, actinic and chemical irritants, and early lesions such as leukoplakia and benign growths.