Health Studies Institute/Oral Cancer/Excerpt

An excerpt from the preface to
Oral Cancer, Fifth Edition

In the United States, oral cancer accounts for nearly 3% of all cancers and approximately 2% of all cancer deaths. Mortality is high, with less than 50% of oral cancer patients seeing their cancer cured. However, early detection of mouth cancers (i.e., when lesions are less than 3 cm in size and show no evidence of deep invasion or metastasis) dramatically increases the survival rates.

Unfortunately, over the past decade there have been only small improvements in early diagnosis of oral cancer: over 50% of all oral cancers are extensive, late-stage malignancies at the time of diagnosis. Hence, treatment is more aggressive, which increases morbidity and results only in a slight improvement in survival rates. Therefore, early diagnosis of a lesion during the localized stage, combined with adequate treatment, appears to be the most effective way to improve oral cancer control.

The dental profession shares an important responsibility in the management of oral cancer, from diagnosis through rehabilitation. Dentists have a unique opportunity in the routine mouth examination to detect malignant neoplasms while they are still asymptomatic, innocuous, and unsuspected. In addition, the dentist is most often the first clinician consulted for general oral complaints and, therefore, has the initial responsibility of differentiating benign from precancerous and malignant conditions.

In preparing for their participation in cancer control, health professionals must acquire knowledge of the biologic and epidemiologic aspects of cancer, its prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, and an understanding of the psychosocial and economic aspects of the disease.