UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective:Cancer of the oral cavity is one of the commonest cancers in India. Use of smokeless tobacco (Pan masala, Zarda etc.) is on the increase in India. This study was designed to assess the patients' characteristics and histopathological subtypes of the oral cancer in our region The objective of the study was to transforming knowledge into action and present structured site specific data.

Methods:A single institutional retrospective study of 11 years was designed. Data was collected year wise using the tumor registry data. A total of 40,559 biopsies were examined in the department during this period, out of which the oral cavity constituted 759 biopsies. The data was analyzed utilizing the Kolomogroo-Smirnov two sample test.

Results:A comparison of the age specific incidence rates of oral cancer showed that the incidence was maximum in the 50-59 years age group and squamous cell carcinoma grade I was the most prevalent type. Of the total of 759 biopsies from oral cavity, 303 malignant cases. 232 (76.57%) were males and 71 (23.43% were females with a male to female ratio of 3.27:1. The tongue was the most frequently involved site--found in 42.57% cases. Examination of biopsies from oral cavity revealed 267 (35.17%) benign lesions, 127 (16.73%) premalignant lesions including leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis while 303 (39.92%) cases of oral cancers of different grades and 62 (8.17%) cases remained inconclusive. On an average, 63 new cases of oral cavity per annum were detected during this period.