Survival Rate Of Oral Cancer Research Articles

Advances in Raman spectroscopy for characterising oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders.

Oral cancer survival rates have seen little improvement over the past few decades. This is mainly due to late detection and a lack of reliable markers to predict disease progression in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). There is a need for highly specific and sensitive screening tools to enable early detection of malignant transformation. Biochemical alterations to tissues occur as an early response to pathological processes; manifesting as modifications to molecular structure, concentration or conformation. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique that can probe these biochemical changes and can be exploited for the generation of novel disease-specific biomarkers. Therefore, Raman spectroscopy has the potential as an adjunct tool that can assist in the early diagnosis of oral cancer and the detection of disease progression in OPMDs. This review describes the use of Raman spectroscopy for the diagnosis of oral cancer and OPMDs based on ex vivo and liquid biopsies as well as in vivo applications that show the potential of this powerful tool to progress from benchtop to chairside.

Factors influencing the 5-year survival rate of oral cancer patients in the Mongolian population: a retrospective cohort study.

The high mortality rate of head and neck cancers, particularly oral cancer, poses a significant health challenge in developing nations such as Mongolia. This retrospective survival analysis study was conducted to identify factors influencing the 5-year survival rate of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. The study analyzed data from 173 patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma, including multiple variables such as age, gender, residence, education, tobacco and alcohol consumption, oral health indicators, family history, precancerous conditions, cancer characteristics, treatment, rehabilitation, cancer recurrence, and 5-year survival. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and STATA was used for statistical analysis. The study revealed a 5-year survival rate of 50.3% for oral cancer patients, with a survival rate of 38% for tongue cancer patients. Age, residence, cancer stage, and cancer recurrence were identified as significant survival predictors. Compared to those aged 60 or younger, the hazard ratio (HR) for patients aged 61 or older was 1.52. Survival was associated with female gender (HR = 0.47, CI = 0.29-0.77). Urban residence was associated with decreased survival (HR = 1.92, CI = 1.22-3.05). Significantly worse survival was associated with the presence of cancer recurrence (HR = 1.99, CI = 1.15-3.04). Oral cancer patients in stage IV had a fourfold higher risk of mortality compared to those in stage I (HR = 4.08, CI = 1.2-13.84). This research highlights the influence of age, urban habitation, and cancer recurrence on oral cancer survival. Age, urban residence, and cancer recurrence were all associated with decreased survival, whereas cancer at stage IV substantially increased the risk of death. The significance of early detection, treatment, and active surveillance to identify oral cancer at an early stage is highlighted by these findings. Compared to industrialized nations, Mongolia's lower oral cancer survival rates emphasize the need to increase public awareness and education. A comprehensive approach is required to improve oral cancer patient survival rates and quality of life, including emphasizing early detection through active surveillance, implementing preventive measures, and advancing cancer education initiatives.

Ferroptosis induced by plasma-activated Ringer's lactate solution prevents oral cancer progression.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of plasma-activated Ringer's lactate solution (PAL) on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and carcinogenic processes with a particular focus on iron and collagenous matrix formation. We used three OSCC cell lines, one keratinocyte cell line, and two fibroblast lines, and cell viability assays, immunoblotting, flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to evaluate the effect and type of cell death. The effect of PAL treatment on lysyl oxidase (LOX) expression was investigated invitro and invivo. Tamoxifen-inducible Mob1a/b double-knockout mice were used for the invivo experiment. PAL killed OSCC cells more effectively than the control nontumorous cells and suppressed cell migration and invasion. Ferroptosis occurred and the protein level of LOX was downregulated in cancer cells invitro and invivo. Additionally, PAL improved the survival rate of mice and suppressed collagenous matrix formation. We demonstrated that PAL specifically kills OSCC cells and that ferroptosis occurs invitro and invivo. Furthermore, PAL can prevent carcinogenesis and improve the survival rate of oral cancer, especially tongue cancer, by changing collagenous matrix formation via LOX suppression.

Assessment of salivary levels of ErbB2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral cancer is the sixth-most common cancer globally. The survival rate of oral cancer is 5 years, depending on the stage it is diagnosed. To diagnose in the early stage, specialised tumour markers may assist and also help in improving the survival rate of oral cancer. ErbB2 is a transmembrane cell surface receptor required in signal transduction and an essential part of signalling pathways that take part in controlling the basic cellular processes like cell cycle, migration, metabolism and survival, besides cellular proliferation and differentiation. It is over-expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and is directly proportional to the poor prognosis, as it is expressed at a very low concentration in a healthy individual. Due to this, ErbB2 could be used as a diagnostic marker in OSCC. Nowadays, the search for tumour expression in the saliva with the use of salivary biomarkers could aid in the diagnosis of the OSSC. To assess the expression of ErbB2 in the saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma by correlating the ErbB2 level in the disease group with the healthy group. To determine the diagnostic significance of ErbB2 in OSCC. The study comprises 20 salivary samples from OSCC patients and 20 salivary samples from healthy individuals. The salivary level of ErbB2 was estimated using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. To analyse the data, SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0, Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Released 2019) is used. The significance level is fixed at 5% (α = 0.05). P value <0.05 is considered to be statistically significant. To compare the mean values of mean and concentration, an unpaired/independent sample t-test was used. The mean age of OSCC and control were found to be 57 ± 8.13 and 26.6 ± 1.51, respectively. The mean age was compared between OSCC and control by the Chi-square test, and the P value was <0.01, which was found to be statistically significant. The salivary levels of ErbB2 in the OSCC and control groups were measured by an unpaired sample t-test. The mean salivary ErbB2 level in the OSCC group is 3.20 ng/ml ± 0.57, and in the control group, it is 2.43 ng/ml ± 0.13. When a pairwise comparison of ErbB2 concentration was performed between OSCC and control, it showed a statistically significant difference with a P value of 0.007, which is P < 0.05. The present study has demonstrated an increased salivary expression of ErbB2 in OSCC patients when compared to healthy individuals. This suggests that ErbB2 could aid in the diagnosis of OSCC and could be used as a diagnostic marker in the early detection of oral cancer, a finding that has to be further established with a larger sample size.

Oral Cancer Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices among Dental and Medical Students in Saudi Arabia

Background: Oral cancer had important public health concern, ranking as the world’s 16thmost common cancer. Despite being highly preventable, oral cancer is associated with multiple risk factors and a high mortality rate and contributes significantly to the global cancer burden. The 5-year survival rate for oral cancer remains low (50%), and it has not improved in recent decades. The prognosis is relatively good when caught in the early stages, but it deteriorates dramatically in the advanced stages. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate and assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of dental and medical students in Saudi Arabia towards oral cancer. Methods: A pre-designed questionnaire had been distributed to 1033 dental and medical student in Saudi Arabia, and data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. The participants’ confidentiality was maintained. Results: This study included 1033 participants (males = 558 [54.0%] and females = 475[46.0%]). Medical students represented 734 (71.1%) of the participants and dental students represented 299 (28.9%) of the participants. Overall, 686 (66.4%) participants thought they had good aware about oral cancer, and 771 (74.6%) were concerned about its prevention. Both dental and medical students thought that oral cancer is more common in people over the age of 60 years, with no difference between medical and dental students (degrees off reedom [df] = 1, p = 0.793). Regarding risk factors, both smoking tobacco and alcohol consumption were mentioned by 66.1% of the sample, with no difference between medical and dental students (df = 1, p = 1.000). In addition, 29.9% of students identified the buccalmucosa as the most common site of oral cancer, with no difference between medical and dental students (df = 1, p = 0.691). No significant differences in the mean total score (number of correct answers) between dental students and also medical students at each study level except for the fifth-year students. At this level, the mean score was higher in dental students (6.05±1.88) than medical students (5.13±2.01) (p&lt; 0.01). Conclusions: Medical and dental students had similar knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral cancer. Furthermore, fifth-year dental students from the northern region of Saudi Arabiah ad the highest mean score on the questionnaire.

Head-and-neck cancer: Survival analysis of patients treated in a tertiary cancer hospital in Mumbai

Objectives: The main objective of this study is to report on the survival rates of head-and-neck cancer cases seen in Tata memorial hospital (TMH). Materials and Methods: In the present study comprises of a large number of head-and-neck cancer cases seen in TMH, Mumbai, during the years 2012– 14. The study included 4351 oral cancer, 766 oropharyngeal cancer, 612 hypopharyngeal cancer, 544 laryngeal cancers, and 244 nasopharyngeal cancer. TNM group staging was used to determine the clinical extent of disease.[2] Results: In the study, a major proportion of patients were diagnosed in Stage III and stage IV, except in vocal cord and to a lesser extent in lower lip and anterior tongue. Thus, the treatment offered is either only surgery or in combination with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The overall 3-year survival rates for oral cancer were 26–43%, 23–33% for oropharyngeal cancer, 22–28% for hypopharyngeal cancer, 28–53% for laryngeal cancers, and 44% for nasopharyngeal cancer. Conclusion: Prognosis differed by site of disease and subsites in this study. The differences in outcome are an indicator of the scope of prevention activities that could be reiterated for better prognosis of head-and-neck cancer.

Systematic review of the role of genomic salivary biomarkers in the early detection of oral cancer

Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, and metastasize to any other part of the body. India reports approximately one-fourth of global incidences of oral cancer annually, that is, around 77,000 new cases and 52,000 deaths. While cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers with a global incidence of more than 350,000 new cases and 177,000 deaths every year. Since the average 5-year survival rate of oral cancer on early diagnosis is 77.3% in stages I and II along with a better prognosis, but only 32.2% in stages III and IV, early detection of oral cancer is pertinent for prompt treatment of the problem at its grassroot level to decrease the subsequent morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. This article has been written as a compilation of the various genomic salivary biomarkers that have been detected in the saliva of cancer patients to inculcate a better understanding of these biomarkers and the role they play in the early detection of oral cancer. This will provide adequate knowledge to general and oral surgeons, as well as cancer biologists about the salivary diagnostic markers which will act as an adjunct to the traditional methods of cancer detection. The articles were selected from PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar. The articles with higher academic relevance were selected.

Photodynamic therapy in oral cancer: a review of clinical studies.

A significant mortality rate is associated with oral cancer, particularly in cases of late-stage diagnosis. Since the last decades, oral cancer survival rates have only gradually improved despite advances in treatment. This poor success rate is mainly due to the development of secondary tumors, local recurrence, and regional failure. Invasive treatments frequently have a negative impact on the aesthetic and functional outcomes of survivors. Novel approaches are thus needed to manage this deadly disease in light of these statistics. In photodynamic therapy (PDT), a light-sensitive medication called a photosensitizer is given first, followed by exposure to light of the proper wavelength that matches the absorbance band of the photosensitizer. The tissue oxygen-induced cytotoxic free radicals kill tumor cells directly, harm the microvascular structure, and cause inflammatory reactions at the targeted sites. In the case of early lesions, PDT can be used as a stand-alone therapy, and in the case of advanced lesions, it can be used as adjuvant therapy. The current review article discussed the uses of PDT in oral cancer therapy based on recent advances in this field.

Molecular Crosstalk between the Immunological Mechanism of the Tumor Microenvironment and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Oral Cancer.

Oral cancer is a significant non-communicable disease affecting both emergent nations and developed countries. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck represent the eight major familiar cancer types worldwide, accounting for more than 350,000 established cases every year. Oral cancer is one of the most exigent tumors to control and treat. The survival rate of oral cancer is poor due to local invasion along with recurrent lymph node metastasis. The tumor microenvironment contains a different population of cells, such as fibroblasts associated with cancer, immune-infiltrating cells, and other extracellular matrix non-components. Metastasis in a primary site is mainly due to multifaceted progression known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). For the period of EMT, epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal cell functional and structural characteristics, which lead to cell migration enhancement and promotion of the dissemination of tumor cells. The present review links the tumor microenvironment and the role of EMT in inflammation, transcriptional factors, receptor involvement, microRNA, and other signaling events. It would, in turn, help to better understand the mechanism behind the tumor microenvironment and EMT during oral cancer.

ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC AIDS IN ORAL PATHOLOGY

Oral cancers are one of the most common cancers worldwide today. They are usually neglected by the common population when compared to systemic cancers such as the lung cancer, colon cancer etc. However, they also may be extremely fatal if left untreated even at a very initial stage of the lesion. Early detection and treatment gives the best chance for its cure. The five-year survival rate of oral cancer still remains low and delayed diagnosis is suggested to be one of the major reasons. The detection and diagnosis are currently based on clinical examination, histopathological evaluation of the biopsy material and molecular methods. Several diagnostic aids have been developed over the years for early detection of oral cancer. The purpose of this article is to review the advanced available diagnostic adjuncts for the detection of oral cancer.

Non-Coding RNAs and Oral Cancer: Small Molecules With Big Functions.

Oral cancer remains a major public concern with considerable socioeconomic impact in the world. Despite substantial advancements have been made in treating oral cancer, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer remained undesirable, and the molecular mechanisms underlying OSCC carcinogenesis have not been fully understood. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) include transfer RNAs (tRNAs), as well as small RNAs such as microRNAs, and the long ncRNAs such as HOTAIR are a large segment of the transcriptome that do not have apparent protein-coding roles, but they have been verified to play important roles in diverse biological processes, including cancer cell development. Cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy, plays a vital role in the progression of cancer. A better understanding of the regulatory relationships between ncRNAs and these various types of cancer cell death is therefore urgently required. The occurrence and development of oral cancer can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the expression of ncRNAs, a method which confers broad prospects for oral cancer treatment. Therefore, it is urgent for us to understand the influence of ncRNAs on the development of different modes of oral tumor death, and to evaluate whether ncRNAs have the potential to be used as biological targets for inducing cell death and recurrence of chemotherapy. The purpose of this review is to describe the impact of ncRNAs on cell apoptosis and autophagy in oral cancer in order to explore potential targets for oral cancer therapy.

Is Oral Cancer predictable with miRNA: A Review

Oral cancer 6th most common cancer worldwide. Main contributing factor for oral cancer is tobacco chewing, smoking and alcohol consumption. The 5-year survival rate for oral cancer is approximately 50%. This due to late detection of oral cancer. miRNA (micro Ribo Nucleic Acid) is small noncoding RNA. Its functions are in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression miRNA can be used as early diagnostic tool. This review aims to present the fundamental aspects of microRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), oral premalignant lesions and progression of premalignant lesion to oral cancer. With help of miRNA, we can not only predict oral cancer, but also prediction of transformation of oral premalignant lesion to oral squamous carcinoma. Specific miRNAs are dysregulated in Oral cancer, oral Premalignant lesion and in progression of premalignant lesion to OSCC. Specific miRNAs are dysregulated in oral cancer, oral premalignant lesion and in progression of premalignant lesion to OSCC. In oral cancer miRNA-223, miRNA-211, miRNA182-5p, miRNA-450a are upregulated in comparison to healthy controls. miRNA-1290, miR-1246, miR-1258, miRNA-199a-5p, miRNA-495 are downregulated in oral cancer. In premalignant oral lesion miRNA-146a and miRNA-155 are upregulated. We can predict transformation of premalignant lesion to oral cancer because miR21, miR-181b are upregulated and miR-345 downregulated.

Role of Nurses in the Prevention and Early Detection of Oral Cavity and Pharynx Cancers

Purpose: The incidence of oral cavity and pharynx cancer is rising in the United States and South Dakota (SD) (2009-2018). In 2018, it was estimated that 396,937 of Americans were living with oral cavity and pharynx cancer. The 5-year relative survival rate for oral cancer is 66.2%, which is less than the survival rates for breast, colorectum, and prostate cancers. Tobacco and alcohol use and human papillomavirus (HPV16) exposure are some of the risk factors for oral cancer. Overall rural populations have higher cancer mortality than no rural population due to higher poverty, lower access to health services, and cigarette use. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of the oral cancer risk factors (e.g., cigarette smoking), HPV vaccination rates, and to identify the spatial distribution of social and environmental factors (e.g., social vulnerability, dental care access) in SD. Finally, this article discusses how nurses can contribute to oral cancer prevention and early detection. Methods: This descriptive study used data from multiple data sources (e.g., SD Department of Health, HRSA, County Health Rankings). Maps were created using ArcGIS. Findings: From the 66 SD counties, nearly 17% presented high-level shortage scores and were also highly socially vulnerable. HPV vaccination among youth was higher than the national average. Studies showed that improving nurse’s knowledge by training on oral cancer is needed and this may increase nurses’ practice in oral cancer prevention and control. Conclusions: Primary care professionals like nurse practitioners can assist in early detection of oral cancer and promote awareness of signs and main risk factors in rural areas. As part of the total patient care, nurses hold a vital role in prevention and early detection of oral cancer. These efforts with referral to oral cancer screening are vital for decreasing oral cancers morbidity and mortality rates primarily. Keywords: Rural health, Nurses, oral cancer, dentalcare access, Geographic Information Systems DOI: https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v21i2.692

Automatic detection of oral cancer in smartphone-based images using deep learning for early diagnosis.

.Significance: Oral cancer is a quite common global health issue. Early diagnosis of cancerous and potentially malignant disorders in the oral cavity would significantly increase the survival rate of oral cancer. Previously reported smartphone-based images detection methods for oral cancer mainly focus on demonstrating the effectiveness of their methodology, yet it still lacks systematic study on how to improve the diagnosis accuracy on oral disease using hand-held smartphone photographic images.Aim: We present an effective smartphone-based imaging diagnosis method, powered by a deep learning algorithm, to address the challenges of automatic detection of oral diseases.Approach: We conducted a retrospective study. First, a simple yet effective centered rule image-capturing approach was proposed for collecting oral cavity images. Then, based on this method, a medium-sized oral dataset with five categories of diseases was created, and a resampling method was presented to alleviate the effect of image variability from hand-held smartphone cameras. Finally, a recent deep learning network (HRNet) was introduced to evaluate the performance of our method for oral cancer detection.Results: The performance of the proposed method achieved a sensitivity of 83.0%, specificity of 96.6%, precision of 84.3%, and of 83.6% on 455 test images. The proposed “center positioning” method was about 8% higher than that of a simulated “random positioning” method in terms of score, the resampling method had additional 6% of performance improvement, and the introduced HRNet achieved slightly better performance than VGG16, ResNet50, and DenseNet169, with respect to the metrics of sensitivity, specificity, precision, and .Conclusions: Capturing oral images centered on the lesion, resampling the cases in training set, and using the HRNet can effectively improve the performance of deep learning algorithm on oral cancer detection. The smartphone-based imaging with deep learning method has good potential for primary oral cancer diagnosis.

Retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis in oral cancer. Systematic review and survival analysis

IntroductionMetastasis to retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLN) from oral squamous cell carcinoma is rare and associated with poor outcomes. The poor prognosis of RPLN is multifactorial and includes the clinicopathological aggressiveness of the primary disease and the late presentation. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the evidence on RPLN in patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the quality of the diagnostic modalities and the available treatment options. We aimed to analyse the overall survival of these patients diagnosed with RPLN. MethodsA systematic review was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. The initial literature search generated 289 articles. A total of 11 papers satisfied our criteria. Eight papers provided enough data to perform survival analysis and 3 papers compared the diagnostic modalities used in the detection of RPLN. ResultsA total of 73 OSCC patients diagnosed with RPLN metastasis were identified. The most common primary tumour subsites included the tongue (20), buccal mucosa (15) and gingiva (11). The cumulative 5-year OS rate was 17.8% while the 2-year overall survival was 35.9%. ConclusionThe presence of nodal metastasis is an independent prognostic factor in head and neck cancer. In this study, RPLN metastasis had a poorer prognosis (5 years overall survival is 17.8%) when compared to the survival rate of oral cancer without RPLN metastasis (5 years overall survival is 40%). There was no statistically significant difference between the overall survival in primary RPLN metastasis and recurrent RPLN disease.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of substituted aromatic curcuminoids against human oral epidermal carcinoma-KB cell line

Introduction: The survival rate of oral cancer, like other types of cancers, has not been improved regardless of the early diagnosis and the introduction of advanced therapies. Treatment for oral cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, the effectiveness has been limited due to recurrence and undesirable side effects. Metabolites from plant sources have been shown to be relatively less toxic and thus are considered as potential anti-cancer agents. Interestingly, curcumin isolated from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. possesses broad-spectrum bioactivities. We focused on the synthesis of curcumin-based analogs bearing -OH/-OCH3/-F groups on the phenyl rings in our continuous efforts to search for curcumin-based anti-cancer agents. The synthesized compounds were subsequently evaluated for the cytotoxic activities against KB cancer cell line (an epidermal carcinoma of the mouth).&#x0D; Methods: The desired curcuminoids were synthesized via aldol reactions between benzaldehyde derivatives and pentane-2,4-dione using n-butylamine as a catalyst. Structures were distinguished by NMR and MS spectra. The cytotoxic activity against KB was determined through the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50, mM).&#x0D; Results: Six curcumin analogs (1-6) were successfully synthesized in a yield of 48-76%. The 3- hydroxy/fluoro curcumin analogs (3, IC50 = 15.61 0.13 mM; 6, IC50 = 22.65 1.76 mM) exhibited better anti-cancer activities when compared to curcumin (1, IC50 = 33.35 2.66 mM), whereas the para-fluoro substitution patterns displayed lower inhibitory activities (4, 5) against KB cancer cell line.&#x0D; Conclusions: The synthetic yields are dependent on the position and nature of substituents in aromatic rings. The presence of electron-donating groups gives products (1-3) in lower yields when compared to those (4-6) prepared from fluorinated benzaldehydes as starting materials. The curcuminoids bearing -OH groups at para-positions in aromatic rings (1, 2) can be responsible for better inhibition of cell growth, whereas the fluoro-substituted compounds (4, 5) make a negative contribution to inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the contributions -OH/-F groups at meta-position in aromatic rings of (3, 6) on the cytotoxicity against KB are remarkable and firstly reported in our findings.

An overview of conventional and fluorescence spectroscopy tools in oral cancer diagnosis

Oral cancer is a major public health challenge, along with other common diseases worldwide. Risk factors like tobacco usage and alcohol consumption have contributed towards the rise in the development of oral cancer cases. The low survival rate of oral cancer creates a necessity for early detection. At present, clinical examination followed by biopsy and histopathological-based assessment is considered the gold standard in the early diagnosis of oral cancer. However, it also holds drawbacks like invasiveness and time consumption in confirming a diagnosis, which have raised the need for other non-invasive diagnostic techniques. Spectroscopic techniques used as diagnostic tools are to collect the spectral signatures generated by endogenous fluorophore molecules in abnormal and healthy tissues upon excitation with a suitable wavelength. The present review aimed to highlightthe potential application of non-invasive spectroscopic tools such as fluorescence spectroscopy in oral cancer detection and diagnosis and with a brief standpoint of the conventional techniques used in oral cancer diagnosis. The review emphasizes the potentiality of spectroscopic techniques to replace conventional diagnostic procedures, given their minimally invasive or non-invasive approach, cost-effective nature, and ability to provide a diagnosis in real time.

Bayesian disease mapping and the 'High-Risk' oral cancer population in Hong Kong.

Preventive and early diagnostic methods such as health promotion and disease screening are increasingly advocated to improve detection and survival rates for oral cancer. These strategies are most effective when targeted at "high-risk" individuals and populations. Bayesian disease-mapping modelling is a statistical method to quantify and explain spatial and temporal patterns for risk and covariate factor influence, thereby identifying "high-risk" sub-regions or "case clustering" for targeted intervention. Rarely applied to oral cancer epidemiology, this paper highlights the efficacy of disease mapping for the Hong Kong population. Following ethical approval, anonymized individual-level data for oral cancer diagnoses were obtained retrospectively from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) database for a 7-year period (January 2013 to December 2019). Data facilitated disease mapping and estimation of relative risks of oral cancer incidence and mortality. A total of 3,341 new oral cancer cases and 1,506 oral cancer-related deaths were recorded during the 7-year study period. Five districts, located in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, exhibited considerably higher relative incidence risks with 1 significant "case cluster" hotspot. Six districts displayed higher mortality risks than expected from territory-wide values, with highest risk identified for two districts of Hong Kong Island. Bayesian disease mapping is successful in identifying and characterizing "high-risk" areas for oral cancer incidence and mortality within a community. This should facilitate targeted preventive and interventional strategies. Further work is encouraged to enhance global-level data and comprehensive mapping of oral cancer incidence, mortality and survival.

The influence of cervical lymph node number of neck dissection on the prognosis of the early oral cancer patients

Background/purposeThe status of neck lymph nodes (LNs) plays an important role in survival of oral cavity cancer. Early stage oral cancer patients are still at a risk for locoregional metastasis. We aimed to determine the number of LNs that needs to be retrieved for adequate diagnosis and treatment of the neck tumor. Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 126 oral cavity cancer patients who underwent wide excision and 3 types of neck dissection at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Data from the operative and pathology reports were collected and analyzed. The significant difference was defined as p < 0.05 by SPSS 21.0 and Prizm 5 software. ResultsThere was a significant difference between the total retrieved LNs and tumor differentiation and nerve invasion on multivariate analysis. Receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) curve showed significant difference in the total number of neck LNs between the survival and expired groups. The cut-off point was 36.5 nodes. However, there was no difference in survival between supraomohyoid and modified radical neck dissection. ConclusionRetrieval of adequate LNs can improve oral cancer survival rates. If total number of neck nodes examined is <37 with poor differentiation and/or nerve invasion, early oral cancer patients with neck dissection have a lower survival rate and are candidates for adjuvant therapy.

New Insights into Oral Cancer-Risk Factors and Prevention: A Review of Literature.

The oral cancer constitutes 48% of head and neck cancer cases. Ninety percent of oral cancer cases are histologically diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). Despite new management strategies, the 5-year survival rate of oral cancer is still below 50% in most countries. Head and neck cancers are heterogeneous tumors, and this characteristic of them provides a challenge to treatment plan. Due to the poor outcomes in oral cancer, prevention is a necessity. In this review, a relevant English Literature search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 2000 to mid-2018 was performed. All published articles related to oral cancer and its prevention were included. The risk factors of oral cancer and strategies of oral cancer prevention will be discussed.