Academic literature on the topic 'Oral cancer diagnosis'

The incidence of oral cancer in the UK is rising, with approximately 7,300 new cases diagnosed in 2012. The number of oral cancer cases in the UK has risen by more than a quarter in the last decade. Mouth cancer is within the ten most common cancers encountered among men in the UK. Primary care practitioners, both in a dental and medical setting, have a role in the early diagnosis of oral malignancy, and in providing patients with information regarding risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and betel quid use. The purpose of this paper is to present the epidemiology and risk factors related to oral cancer and particularly review the literature regarding the level of awareness and practice in primary care as recorded in relevant research.

Oral cancer is the sixth most common malignant cancer, affecting the health of people with an unacceptably high mortality rate. Despite numerous clinical methods in the diagnosis and therapy of oral cancer (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, surgery, and chemoradiotherapy), they still remain far from optimal. Therefore, an urgent need exists for effective and practical techniques of early diagnosis and effective therapy of oral cancer. Currently, various types of nanoparticles have aroused wide public concern, representing a promising tool for diagnostic probes and therapeutic devices. Their inherent physicochemical features, including ultrasmall size, high reactivity, and tunable surface modification, enable them to overcome some of the limitations and achieve the expected diagnostic and therapeutic effect. In this review, we introduce different types of nanoparticles that emerged for the diagnosis and therapy of oral cancers. Then, the challenges and future perspectives for nanoparticles applied in oral cancer diagnosis and therapy are presented. The objective of this review is to help researchers better understand the effect of nanoparticles on oral cancer diagnosis and therapy and may accelerate breakthroughs in this field.

ABSTRACT Background To describe oral lesions diagnosed during oral cancer prevention campaign performed in Fernandópolis, Brazil, in 2015. Materials and methods Patients who attended for the Basic Health Units of the city of Fernandópolis on the day of the campaign were examined by dental surgeons who searched for oral lesions clinically suggestive for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or potentially malignant lesions. Final diagnosis was obtained by a re-evaluation of patients with suspicious lesions performed by an expert in oral diseases. Results Seven hundred and sixty-two patients were examined during the campaign; although 96 (12.59%) presented with oral suspicious lesions and forwarded for re-evaluation, only 72 (9.44%) attended for re-evaluation and got the final diagnosis. Among re-evaluated patients, only 1 (1.38%) was diagnosed with oral SCC, whereas 56 (77.77%) were diagnosed with oral benign lesions, and 19 (26.38%) were diagnosed with oral normality variations. Conclusion Oral cancer low diagnosis rate detected during this campaign might be attributed to lacks on oral cancer prevention campaign methodologies, which clearly needs to be improved aiming to reach patients in real risk for oral cancer development. Furthermore, oral benign lesions diagnosis among patients forwarded with suspicious lesions rates suggests a lack on dental surgeons’ knowledge regarding oral cancer. How to cite this article Tomo S, Cruz MCC, Fernandes KGC, Kina M, Boer NP, Simonato LE. Oral Lesions Diagnosed during Oral Cancer Prevention Campaign in Fernandópolis, Brazil, 2015. World J Dent 2015;6(3):138-142.

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Despite easy access to the oral cavity and significant advances in treatment, the morbidity and mortality rates for oral cancer patients are still very high, mainly due to late-stage diagnosis when treatment is less successful. Oral cancer has also been found to be the most expensive cancer to treat in the United States. Early diagnosis of oral cancer can significantly improve patient survival rate and reduce medical costs. There is an urgent unmet need for an accurate and sensitive molecular-based diagnostic tool for early oral cancer detection. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has gained increasing attention in cancer research due to its ability to elucidate qualitative and quantitative information of biochemical content and molecular-level structural changes in complex biological systems. The diagnosis of a disease is based on biochemical changes underlying the disease pathology rather than morphological changes of the tissue. It is a versatile method that can work with tissues, cells, or body fluids. In this review article, we aim to summarize the studies of infrared spectroscopy in oral cancer research and detection. It provides early evidence to support the potential application of infrared spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for oral potentially malignant and malignant lesions. The challenges and opportunities in clinical translation are also discussed.

Oral cancer refers to all malignancies that arise in the oral cavity, lips and pharynx, with 90% of all oral cancers being oral squamous cell carcinoma. Despite the recent treatment advances, oral cancer is reported as having one of the highest mortality ratios amongst other malignancies and this can much be attributed to the late diagnosis of the disease. Saliva has long been tested as a valuable tool for drug monitoring and the diagnosis systemic diseases among which oral cancer. The new emerging technologies in molecular biology have enabled the discovery of new molecular markers (DNA, RNA and protein markers) for oral cancer diagnosis and surveillance which are discussed in the current review.

El càncer oral és considerat, globalment, un problema de salut pública. Aquest té una taxa de supervivència al cap de 5 anys del 50%, ja que el seu diagnòstic es realitza, en general, en estadis avançats. Pel que fa al seu tractament, normalment, hi participa un equip multidisciplinari per tal de proporcionar una atenció integral als individus que pateixen aquesta malaltia. Actualment, hi ha un nombre considerable de publicacions científiques que suggereixen l’ús de diferents opcions terapèutiques; però, la qualitat d’aquesta evidència es desconeix. Per tant, es requereix una avaluació crítica de l’evidència sobre el diagnòstic i el tractament del càncer oral. Es van realitzar tres estudis independents que utilitzaven diferents dissenys metodològics. Per descriure i avaluar la qualitat de l’evidència científica sobre el diagnòstic i els tractaments per al càncer oral, es va dissenyar i realitzar: i) un estudi de mapatge de l’evidència per tal de descriure l’evidència disponible sobre les principals intervencions terapèutiques per a càncer oral; ii) un estudi d’avaluació critica sistemàtica per determinar la qualitat de guies de pràctica clínica sobre tractaments de càncer oral, i iii) un estudi d’avaluació critica sistemàtica per determinar la qualitat de guies de pràctica clínica sobre diagnòstic de càncer oral, i descriure les seves recomanacions. L’estudi de mapatge de l’evidència va incloure 15 revisions sistemàtiques que incloïen 118 estudis primaris; d’aquests, el 55,1% van ser assaigs clínics controlats aleatoritzats. Deu revisions sistemàtiques van tenir una qualitat metodològica “summament baixa”. Es van extreure trenta preguntes PICOs, les quals es van enfocar en intervencions com ara cirurgia, radioteràpia, quimioteràpia, teràpia dirigida i immunoteràpia; 18 PICOs eren per càncer oral operable, de les quals vuit van ser reportades com a “beneficiosa”. Hi va haver 12 PICOs per càncer oral inoperable, de les quals només dos van ser reportades com a “beneficiosa”. En el segon estudi, es van incloure 12 guies de pràctica clínica. La mitjana de la puntuació per a cada domini de l’AGREE II van ser: “abast i propòsit”, 88,4% ± 12,4%; “Participació dels interessats”, 60,4% ± 25%; “Rigor de desenvolupament”, 60,9% ± 25,3%; “Claredat de presentació”, 76,5% ± 19,8%; “Aplicabilitat”, 32,2% ± 30,7%; i “independència editorial”, 61,6% ± 35,5%. Tres guies van ser classificades com a “recomanada”, sis com a “recomanada amb modificacions”; i tres com a “no recomanada”. En l’últim estudi, es van seleccionar vuit guies de pràctica clínica. La mitjana de la puntuació per als sis dominis de l’AGREE II van ser: “abast i propòsit”, 97,9% (RIC: 96,2-100,0%); “Participació dels interessats”, 86,1% (RIC: 69,8-93,1%); “Rigor de desenvolupament”, 75,3% (RIC: 64,2-94,3%); “Claredat de presentació”, 91,7% (RIC: 82,6-94,4%); “Aplicabilitat”, 53,1% (RIC: 19,3-74,2%); i “independència editorial”, 83,3% (RIC: 67,2-93,8%). Quatre guies van ser classificades com a “recomanada”, quatre com a “recomanada amb modificacions” i cap com a “no recomanada”. Es van identificar 23 recomanacions, majoritàriament basades en nivell d’evidència “baixa” o “molt baixa”. En general, l’evidència científica sobre els tractaments de càncer oral és limitada i la seva qualitat és summament baixa. Així mateix, la qualitat metodològica de guies de pràctica clínica sobre diagnòstic i tractaments per al càncer oral va ser considerada des de subòptima fins a moderada. A més, la majoria de les seves recomanacions es van basar en un nivell d’evidència “baixa”. Aquestes troballes ressalten la necessitat de realitzar futures investigacions sobre nous tractaments i buits del coneixement identificats en aquesta àrea; així mateix, són necessaris més esforços per permetre el desenvolupament de guies basades en evidència d’alta qualitat per al càncer oral.
El cáncer oral es considerado un problema de salud pública globalmente. Este tiene una tasa de supervivencia a los 5 años del 50%, debido a que su diagnóstico se realiza comúnmente en estadios avanzados. En su tratamiento usualmente participa un equipo multidisciplinario para proporcionar una atención integral a los individuos que padecen esta enfermedad. Actualmente, existe un número considerable de publicaciones científicas que sugieren el uso de diferentes opciones terapéuticas y recomendaciones para su diagnóstico; sin embargo, la calidad de esta evidencia se desconoce. Por lo tanto, se requiere una evaluación crítica de la evidencia sobre el diagnóstico y tratamiento de cáncer oral. Tres estudios independientes fueron realizados usando diferentes diseños metodológicos. Para describir y evaluar la calidad de la evidencia científica sobre el diagnóstico y tratamientos para el cáncer oral, se diseñó y realizó: i) un estudio de mapeo de la evidencia para describir la evidencia disponible sobre principales intervenciones terapéuticas para cáncer oral; ii) un estudio de evaluación crítica sistemática para determinar la calidad de guías de práctica clínica sobre tratamientos de cáncer oral, y iii) un estudio de evaluación critica sistemática para determinar la calidad de guías de práctica clínica sobre diagnóstico de cáncer oral, y describir sus recomendaciones. El estudio de mapeo de la evidencia incluyó 15 revisiones sistemáticas abarcando 118 estudios primarios; de estos 55,1% fueron ensayos clínicos controlados aleatorizados. Diez revisiones sistemáticas tuvieron una calidad metodológica “muy baja”. Treinta preguntas PICOs fueron extraídas, las cuales se enfocaron en intervenciones como cirugía, radioterapia, quimioterapia, terapia dirigida e inmunoterapia; 18 PICOs eran para cáncer oral operable, de las cuales ocho fueron reportadas como beneficiosa. Hubo 12 PICOs para cáncer oral inoperable, de las cuales solo dos fueron reportadas como beneficiosas. En el segundo estudio se incluyeron 12 guías de práctica clínica. Los puntajes promedio para cada dominio del AGREE II fueron: “alcance y propósito” 88,4%±12,4%; “participación de los interesados” 60,4%±25%; “rigor de desarrollo” 60,9%±25,3%; “claridad de presentación” 76,5%±19,8%; “aplicabilidad” 32,2%±30,7%; y “independencia editorial” 61,6%±35,5%. Tres guías fueron clasificadas como “recomendada”, seis como “recomendada con modificaciones”; y tres como “no recomendada”. En el último estudio ocho guías de práctica clínica fueron seleccionadas. Los puntajes en mediana para los seis dominios del AGREE II fueron: “alcance y propósito” 97,9% (RIC: 96,2-100%); “participación de los interesados” 86,1% (RIC: 69,8-93,1%); “rigor de desarrollo” 75,3% (RIC: 64,2-94,3%); “claridad de presentación” 91,7% (RIC: 82,6-94,4%); “aplicabilidad” 53,1% (RIC: 19,3-74,2%); y “independencia editorial” 83,3% (RIC: 67,2-93,8%). Cuatro guías fueron clasificadas como “recomendada”, cuatro como “recomendada con modificaciones” y ninguna como “no recomendada”. Se identificaron 23 recomendaciones, en su mayoría basadas en nivel de evidencia “baja” o “muy baja”. En general, la evidencia científica sobre los tratamientos de cáncer oral es limitada y su calidad es muy baja. Asimismo, la calidad metodológica de guías de práctica clínica sobre diagnóstico y tratamientos para el cáncer oral fue considerada desde subóptima hasta moderada. Además, la mayoría de sus recomendaciones fueron basadas en un nivel de evidencia “baja”. Estos hallazgos resaltan la necesidad de realizar futuras investigaciones sobre nuevos tratamientos y vacíos del conocimiento identificados en esta área; asimismo mayores esfuerzos son necesarios para permitir el desarrollo de guías basadas en evidencia de alta calidad para cáncer oral.
Oral cancer is considered a public health problem worldwide. It has a 5-year survival rate of 50% due to diagnosis are commonly performed at advanced stage of the disease. Its treatment usually involves a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive healthcare to people that suffer from this disease. Nowadays, there is a vast number of scientific publications suggesting the use of different therapeutic interventions and recommendations for its diagnosis, but their quality is unknown. Thus, a critical appraisal of evidence about diagnosis and treatments for oral cancer is needed. Three independent studies were carried out using different methodology designs. In order to describe and assess the quality of scientific evidence on diagnosis and treatments for oral cavity cancer, we designed and conducted: i) an evidence mapping study to describe the available evidence about the main therapeutic interventions for oral cancer; ii) a systematically critical assessment study to determine the quality of clinical practice guidelines on treatments for oral cavity cancer; and iii) a systematically critical assessment study to assess the quality of clinical practice guidelines on oral cancer diagnosis, and to describe their recommendations. The evidence mapping study included 15 systematic reviews involving 118 primary studies, of which 55.1% were randomized controlled clinical trials. Ten systematic reviews scored “critically low” methodological quality. We extracted 30 PICOs focusing on interventions such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy; 18 PICOs were for resectable oral cancer, of which 8 were reported as beneficial. There were 12 PICOs for unresectable oral cancer, of which only 2 interventions were reported as beneficial. In the second study, 12 clinical practice guidelines were included. The mean scores for each AGREE II domain were the following: “scope and purpose” 88.4%±12.4%; “stakeholder involvement” 60.4%±25%; “rigor of development” 60.9%±25.3%; “clarity of presentation” 76.5%±19.8%; “applicability” 32.2%±30.7%; and “editorial independence” 61.6%±35.5%. Three guidelines were rated as “recommended”; six as “recommended with modifications”; and three as “not recommended”. In the last study, eight clinical practice guidelines were selected. The median scores of the six AGREE II domains were as follows: “scope and purpose” 97.9% (IQR: 96.2-100.0%); “stakeholder involvement” 86.1% (IQR: 69.8-93.1%); “rigor of development” 75.3% (IQR: 64.2-94.3%); “clarity of presentation” 91.7% (IQR: 82.6-94.4%); “applicability” 53.1% (IQR: 19.3-74.2%); and “editorial independence” 83.3% (IQR: 67.2-93.8%). Four guidelines were assessed as “recommended”, four “recommended with modifications”, and none “not recommended”. Twenty-three recommendations were provided, mostly with a low or very low level of evidence. Overall, the scientific evidence about treatments for oral cancer is limited and its quality is critically low. Likewise, the methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines on diagnosis and treatments for oral cancer was rated from suboptimal to moderate. Moreover, most recommendations were based on a low level of evidence. These findings highlight the need to address future research focused on new treatments and knowledge gaps identified in this field, and increased efforts are required to enable the development of high-quality evidence-based guidelines for oral cancer.

Objectives: Intact cell peptidome profiling (ICPP) with MALDI-ToF Mass-Spectrometry holds promise as a non invasive method to detect head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) objectively, which may improve the early diagnosis of oral cancer tremendously. The present study was designed to discriminate between tumour samples and non-cancer controls (healthy mucosa and oral lesions) by analysing complete spectral patterns of intact cells using MALDI-ToF MS. Material and Methods: In the first step, a data base consisting of 26 patients suffering from HNSCC was established by taking brush biopsy samples of the diseased area and of the healthy buccal mucosa of the respective contralateral area. After performing MALDI-ToF MS on these samples, classification analysis was used as a basis for further classification of the blind study composed of additional 26 samples including HNSCC, oral lesions and healthy mucosa. Results: By analyzing spectral patterns of the blind study, all cancerous lesions were defined accurately. One incorrect evaluation (false positive) occurred in the lesion cohort, leading to a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 93% and an overall accuracy of 96.5%. Conclusion: ICPP using MALDI-ToF MS is able to distinguish between healthy and cancerous mucosa and between oral lesions and oral cancer with excellent sensitivity and specificity, which may lead to a more impartial early diagnosis of HNSCC.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It is a result of numerous aetiological factors such as genetic predisposition, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and viruses such as the human papilloma virus. Due to late diagnosis it has a high mortality and morbidity rates which has remained unchanged over the last 5 decades. Currently no screening is available for high risk patients for better monitoring. Diagnosing OSCC relies on histopathology of biopsy tissue, reviewed for dysplasia and advancing lesions. Although the technique has been used for decades for successful diagnosis it fails to identify the molecular signature of OSCC which appears much before the visual signs. It also falls short in predicting the malignant transformation of pre-malignant oral lesions. Identifying the molecular and genetic changes leading to OSCC lesion will aid in more specific (quantitative) and early diagnosis of the disease reducing the financial burden of treating late-stage OSCC patients on the healthcare system. This study focuses on developing new adjuncts which can be used alongside histopathology for early diagnosis. There is a need to monitor high risk patients through non-invasive methods causing less patient discomfort. We therefore explored the potentials of exosomes which are extracellular vesicles secreted by normal and tumour cells. They can be isolated from body fluids such as blood and saliva. In cancer biology exosomes offer both diagnostic and therapeutic advantage. Their involvement in cell-cell communication indicates their influence in tumour development, progression, metastasis and therapeutic efficacy. Exosomes released by cancerous cells carry numerous biomarkers, which are passed on to healthy cells via microenvironment, causing stromal and angiogenic activation along with immune escape. In this study exosomes were successfully isolated from body fluids (blood, saliva and plasma) and cell line supernatant through ultracentrifugation and characterised by visual and particle size quantification techniques including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Zetasizer and Nanosight Tracking Analysis (NTA). Exosomal specific membrane proteins were identified through Western blotting. 5 We report the presence of a potential protein biomarker located exclusively on the outer membrane of cancer exosomes. Since body fluids consist of a heterogeneous population of exosomes derived from multiple cell types, such surface biomarker can potentially be used to isolate OSCC exosomes. Characterisation of exosomal mRNA cargo was done using Agilent Bioanalyzer (for RNA quantity and quality assurance) and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR; for gene specific quantitation). Functional significance of exosomes was studied by transfecting normal oral keratinocyte cells with self and cancer-derived exosomes. Through gene-expression microarray and subsequent RT-qPCR verification, we report a panel of differentially expressed genes involved in essential cellular functions being modulated by exosome transfection. A previously developed molecular diagnostic system by our research group called quantitative malignancy index diagnostic system (qMIDS) based on FOXM1 oncogene and its downstream targets was validated on archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded OSCC patient biopsy samples. We report that qMIDS index successfully correlates with the disease stages including dysplasia, tumour and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, through meta-analysis of 8 OSCC microarray studies we identified a panel of six genes including PLAU, FN1, CDCA5, CRNN, CLEC3B and DUOX1 (q6) which are able to identify two clinically distinct sub-groups of OSCC patient population. Through RT-qPCR the expression of q6 biomarkers was established in 100 OSCC biopsy samples. This information can be of immense importance in developing personalized treatment strategies based on the molecular makeup of the presenting tumour.

Oral cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world, with a poor prognosis and frequent late-stage diagnosis, which significantly impacts survival and quality of life. The key to better control of this disease is early detection, preferably at a precancerous stage. In order to facilitate this early detection and diagnosis, it is critical to identify the factors potentially impacting on the time lag from initial detection to diagnostic biopsy. The overall goal is to develop effective strategies for early identification of oral cancers in order to achieve better control over this disease. There are 2 components in this thesis: the objectives of part I (personal interview) were 1) to develop an interview-style questionnaire, 2) to collect data from patients with high-risk oral lesions (HRL’s) and 3) to characterize the experiences of these individuals that may have impacted the time interval leading up to diagnosis. The objectives of Part II (focus group discussion) were 1) to gather feedback regarding the questionnaire developed in Part I, 2) to obtain recommendations for future planning and delivery of province-wide questionnaire and 3) as a group, to share information on patients’ experiences to diagnosis and patients’ perspectives on their interactions with health professionals (HP’s) throughout this journey. An interview-style questionnaire was developed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data on patients’ experiences. Forty patients with HRL’s diagnosed within 12 months were recruited and interviewed in the Dysplasia Clinic of the BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program. Two focus groups were conducted and feedback from participants regarding the questionnaire and patients’ experiences was recorded. Among 40 patients interviewed, 21 (53%) initially self-identified their lesions (SIG) and 19 (47%) were identified by health professional screening (PSG; 84% by dental professionals). The SIG showed higher rates of invasive SCC at diagnosis as compared to those in the PSG (76% vs. 32%, P = 0.01) and SIG took twice as long to have the initial biopsy performed as the PSG (23 ± 52 vs. 11 ± 28 months). Notably, the main symptom of patients in SIG was pain or presence of non-healing ulcers (18/21; 86%). In contrast, all lesions in PSG were asymptomatic. The mean time from detection to diagnosis was 17.5 ± 42.3 months (range: 0-240 months). Fourteen patients (35%) experienced a time lag of greater than 6 months from first detection of an oral lesion until the first diagnostic biopsy was performed. Both patient and professional factors impact on the time lag. The main contributing factors for this time lag include both patient factors (a lack of concern, fear, and a lack of oral cancer awareness) and the professional factors (lack of knowledge in differentiating high-risk lesions, delay in initiating the referral or ‘watch and wait’, and delay in scheduling of referral appointments to the specialists). Focus group results supported the format and content of the questionnaire, provided input in designing of future province-wide survey and emphasized that patients require continued post-diagnostic and treatment care. A general lack of awareness of oral cancer in general population and in HP’s in addition to a lack of screening activities have been brought forward as critical factors that result in delay to diagnosis. In conclusion, these results suggest HP’s, especially dental professionals, can play a critical role in early identification of HRL’s at an asymptomatic, pre-invasive stage through regular screening. Strategies in raising awareness of oral cancer in both the general population and among HP’s are essential for early identification of oral cancers in order to achieve better control over this disease.

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Medicina Dentária
Introdução: O cancro oral em Portugal no passado era diagnosticado tardiamente, porém atualmente, existe um número elevado de profissionais de saúde com capacidades de realizarem o diagnóstico de cancro oral. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi conhecer o perfil de referenciação dos doentes com cancro oral, no ano de 2013 no Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, com o intuito de avaliar se o diagnóstico é realizado mais precocemente. Materiais e Métodos: O estudo descritivo de caso efetuado envolveu 215 doentes com neoplasias orais, a colheita de dados foi realizada através do recurso à base de dados do IPO-Porto (Registo Oncológico Hospitalar), onde foram selecionados os doentes com neoplasias orais, do ano 2013. Resultados: Dos 215 doentes com neoplasias orais, (74%) são do género masculino. Em relação à idade média foi de 61,5 anos (SD 13,7), esta era no género masculino significativamente mais baixa que no género feminino. A língua foi a localização topográfica mais prevalente com (33,0%) dos casos. Em 207 casos as neoplasias eram malignas, apenas 8 doentes tinham neoplasias benignas. O tipo histológico o mais observado foi o carcinoma espinocelular com (86%). O profissional que referenciou mais doentes com cancro oral ao IPO-Porto foi a especialidade de otorrinolaringologia (29,8%). No que diz respeito ao estádio, a maioria dos doentes encontrava-se no estádio IV (48,4%). Conclusão: Apesar de existir um número considerável de profissionais potencialmente habilitados para o diagnóstico do cancro oral, os resultados obtidos mostram que o diagnostico do cancro oral em 2013, foi realizado na maior parte dos casos tardiamente.
Introduction: Oral Cancer in Portugal last was diagnosed late, but currently, there is a high number of health professionals with capabilities to conduct the diagnosis of oral cancer. The aim of this study was to know the profile referral of patients with oral cancer in 2013 at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, in order to assess whether the diagnosis is made earlier. Materials and Methods: The descriptive case study carried out involving 215 patients with oral cancers, the data collection was performed through the IPO-Porto database to use (Hospital Cancer Registry), where patients were selected with oral cancers, the year 2013. Results: Of the 215 patients with oral cancers, (74%) are males. Compared to the average age was 61.5 years (SD 13.7), this was significantly lower in males than in females. The language was the most prevalent topographical location with (33.0%) of cases. In 207 cases the tumors were malignant, only 8 patients had benign tumors. The histological type as squamous cell carcinoma was observed with (86%).The professional referenced more patients with oral cancer to IPO-Porto was the specialty of otolaryngology (29,8%). With respect to the stage, most of the patients was at the stage IV (48.4%). Conclusion: Although there is a potentially large number of qualified professionals in the diagnosis of oral cancer, the obtained results show that the diagnosis of oral cancer in 2013 was carried out in most cases later.

Communication about medications can be one-sided, leaving the patient to take a passive role in discussions about medications. In relation to oral chemotherapy, there is a paucity of research in this area, which is surprising given the extremely narrow therapeutic index of oral chemotherapy and subsequent high risk of toxicity. The aim of this ethnographic study was to illuminate the processes of communication between healthcare professionals, patients and informal carers during oral cancer drug therapy in order to identify factors that promote or inhibit concordance and appropriate medication administration. Observations were conducted on interactions between healthcare professionals and eight patients. These observations occurred over a period of six months, in outpatient departments where prescriptions were explained and supplied, and on follow-up consultations where treatment regimens were monitored and assessed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and their informal carers during and after their six-month treatment. Focus-groups were carried out with healthcare professionals at the conclusion of the study. These data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of this study are divided into two sections. The first relates to the patient journey to their first consultation appointment, which includes two broad themes of the shock of the lifeworld and the waiting room experience. The second explores the patient’s six-month journey of receiving communication about oral chemotherapy and this includes the three broad themes of colonization of the lifeworld, mutual system lifeworld and detachment of the system. Communication processes within oncology are complex. This study found that the main communication priority for patients, their family members and healthcare professionals, was medical management of side-effects. Importantly, communication about oral chemotherapy is not an isolated event. It occurs over a long period, is preceded by important communication processes through the diagnosis period and succeeded by supportive communication in the period after treatment.

AbstractThe incidence of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is on the rise. Association with tobacco and alcohol is well established. Transformation rates in premalignant lesions and conditions vary in the available literature. Oral cancer in other parts of the world has different etiology in contrast to Indian oral cancer. Because of this Indian OSCC may require different parameters for treatment than that of the other oral cancer. Its prognosis also may not be comparable to others.