Five percent of all tumors occur in the head and neck, and approximately half of those
occur specifically in the oral cavity. Of the 615,000 new cases of oral cavity tumors
reported worldwide in 2000, 300,000 were primary oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.
Recent data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program suggest that
28,900 new cases of oral cancer will be identified and 7400 deaths attributed to oral
cancer each year in the United States. The sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality,
oral cancer accounts for 1 death every hour in the United States. However, despite
advances in screening tools, imaging technology, and access to primary care physicians,
a considerable percentage of patients present with advanced-stage disease. Clinical
signs and symptoms of head and neck tumors are often nonspecific and may be mistaken
for other common ailments. Primary care physicians must be aware of the possibility
of oral cancer, particularly the increasing incidence in young patients without traditional
risk factors of alcohol and tobacco abuse. To improve survival, all patients should
be routinely and vigilantly screened for oral mucosal lesions.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Mayo Clinic ProceedingsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
REFERENCES
- Demographics and occurrence of oral and pharyngeal cancers: the outcomes, the trends, the challenge.J Am Dent Assoc. 2001; 132: 7S-11S
- Cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx in the United States: an epidemiologic overview.J Public Health Dent. 1996; 56: 309-318
- Intraoral squamous cell carcinoma: epidemiologic patterns in Connecticut from 1935 to 1985.Cancer. 1990; 66: 1288-1296
- Epidemiologic and demographic update in oral cancer: California and national data: 1973 to 1985.J Am Dent Assoc. 1990; 120: 495-499
- Risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity in young people: a comprehensive literature review.Oral Oncol. 2001; 37: 401-418
- Oral leukoplakia and malignant transformation: a follow-up study of 257 patients.Cancer. 1984; 53: 563-568
- Observations on the clinical characteristics and natural history of oral leukoplakia.J Am Dent Assoc. 1968; 76: 772-777
- Cancer statistics, 2004.CA Cancer J Clin. 2004; 54: 8-29
- American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer.CA Cancer J Clin. 2002; 52: 8-22
- Screening for cancer of the aerodigestive tract.Cancer. 1993; 72: 1061-1065
- Is detection of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cancer by a dental health care provider associated with a lower stage at diagnosis?.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2003; 61: 285-291
- Intraoral cancer: 100 consecutive cases [in Danish].Tandlaegebladet. 1989; 93: 504-505
- Oral cancer diagnosis and delays in referral.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1992; 30: 210-213
- Delays in the referral and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma [published correction appears in Br Dent J. 2000;188:380].Br Dent J. 2000; 188: 262-265
- Effect of screening oral cancer mortality in Kerala, India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.Lancet. 2005; 365: 1927-1933
- Common oral lesions found during a mass screening examination.J Am Dent Assoc. 1986; 112: 50-57
- Tobacco use and oral cancer: a global perspective.J Dent Educ. 2001; 65: 328-339
- The need for health promotion in oral cancer prevention and early detection.J Public Health Dent. 1996; 56: 319-330
Ries LAG, Harkins D, Krapcho M, et al, eds. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2003, Bethesda, Md: National Cancer Institute. Available at: http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2003/, based on November 2005 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER Web site, 2006.
- Focus on head and neck cancer.Cancer Cell. 2004; 5: 311-316
- Smoking tobacco, oral snuff, and alcohol in the etiology of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a population-based case-referent study in Sweden.Cancer. 1998; 82: 1367-1375
- Tobacco and alcohol related to the anatomical site of oral squamous cell carcinoma.J Oral Pathol Med. 1993; 22: 459-462
- Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx among U.S. veterans.Cancer. 1993; 72: 1369-1375
- Smoking and drinking in relation to oral and pharyngeal cancer.Cancer Res. 1988; 48: 3282-3287
- Risk factors in head and neck cancer.N Engl J Med. 1982; 306: 1151-1155
- Smoking characteristics of patients with oral carcinoma and the risk for second oral primary carcinoma.J Am Dent Assoc. 1972; 85: 637-640
- Tobacco and oral diseases: update on the evidence, with recommendations.Med Princ Pract. 2003; 12: 22-32
- Impact of comorbidity on outcome of young patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Head Neck. 1998; 20: 1-7
- Head and neck cancer incidence trends in young Americans, 1973-1997, with a special analysis for tongue cancer.Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002; 128: 268-274
- Human papillomavirus infection as a risk factor for squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.N Engl J Med. 2001; 344: 1125-1131
- Human papillomavirus-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: mounting evidence for an etiologic role for human papillomavirus in a subset of head and neck cancers.Curr Opin Oncol. 2001; 13: 183-188
- Human papillomavirus positive squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx: a radiosensitive subgroup of head and neck carcinoma.Cancer. 2001; 92: 805-813
- The high risk human papillomaviruses and oral cancer: evidence for and against a causal relationship.Oral Dis. 1997; 3: 130-147
- Human papillomavirus expression in oral mucosa, premalignant conditions, and squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective review of the literature.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1996; 82: 57-68
- Age, sexual behavior and human papillomavirus infection in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.Int J Cancer. 2004; 108: 766-772
- Prevalence, distribution, and viral load of human papillomavirus 16 DNA in tonsillar carcinomas.Cancer. 2001; 92: 2875-2884
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in tonsillar cancer: clinical correlates, risk of relapse, and survival.Int J Cancer. 2000; 89: 300-304
- Human papillomavirus infection as a prognostic factor in carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx.Int J Cancer. 2003; 104: 336-344
- Second primary tumors in patients with oral cancer.Cancer. 1992; 70: 14-19
- Oral cancer: is it more common than cervical?.Br Dent J. 1991; 170: 170-171
- Epidemiology and aetiology of oral cancer in the United Kingdom.Community Dent Health. 1993; 10: 13-29
- The epidemiology of mouth cancer: a review of global incidence.Oral Dis. 2000; 6: 65-74
- Cervical lymph node metastases: diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic implications.Oncology (Williston Park). 1990; 4: 61-69
- Prediction of cervical lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue/floor of mouth.Head Neck. 1995; 17: 463-472
- Field cancerization in oral stratified squamous epithelium: clinical implications of multicentric origin.Cancer. 1953; 6: 963-968
- Association between cigarette smoking and mutation of the p53 gene in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.N Engl J Med. 1995; 332: 712-717
- Role of alcohol and tobacco in the aetiology of head and neck cancer: a case-control study in the Doubs region of France.Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol. 1995; 31B: 301-309
- The prevalence of oral lesions in smokeless tobacco users and an evaluation of risk factors.Cancer. 1992; 70: 2579-2585
- Snuff dipping and oral cancer among women in the southern United States.N Engl J Med. 1981; 304: 745-749
- Oral mucosal lesions found in smokeless tobacco users.J Am Dent Assoc. 1990; 121: 117-123
- Oral cancer in a tobacco-chewing US population: no apparent increased incidence or mortality.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1998; 86: 697-706
- Alcohol, smoking, social and occupational factors in the aetiology of cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx.Int J Cancer. 1984; 34: 603-612
- Clinical implications of continued alcohol consumption after diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancer.Alcohol Alcohol. 2006 Mar-Apr; 41 (Epub 2005 Nov 24.): 140-142
- Second cancers following oral and pharyngeal cancers: role of tobacco and alcohol.J Natl Cancer Inst. 1994; 86: 131-137
- Estimates of the worldwide frequency of sixteen major cancers in 1980.Int J Cancer. 1988; 41: 184-197
- Reverse smoking in Andhra Pradesh, India: a study of palatal lesions among 10,169 villagers.Br J Cancer. 1971; 25: 10-20
- Orofacial neoplasms: global epidemiology, risk factors and recommendations for research.Int Dent J. 1991; 41: 365-375
- Oral submucous fibrosis as a precancerous condition.Scand J Dent Res. 1984; 92: 224-229
- Malignant transformation rate in oral submucous fibrosis over a 17-year period.Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1985; 13: 340-341
- Etiology of oral submucous fibrosis with special reference to the role of areca nut chewing.J Oral Pathol Med. 1995; 24: 145-152
- Molecular assessment of histopathological staging in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.N Engl J Med. 1995; 332: 429-435
- Occurrence of p53 gene deletions and human papilloma virus infection in human head and neck cancer.Cancer Res. 1992; 52: 4832-4836
- Molecular biology of head and neck cancer.Semin Oncol. 1994; 21: 320-329
- p53 protein accumulation and genomic instability in head and neck multistep tumorigenesis.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001; 10: 603-609
- Allelotype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Cancer Res. 1994; 54: 1152-1155
- Frequent loss of chromosome 9p21-22 early in head and neck cancer progression.Cancer Res. 1994; 54: 1156-1158
- Prognostic factors in the recurrence of stage I and II squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity.Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992; 118: 483-485
- Definition of leukoplakia and related lesions: an aid to studies on oral precancer.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1978; 46: 518-539
- International seminar on oral leukoplakia and associated lesions related to tobacco habits.Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1984; 12: 145-154
- Oral white lesions with special reference to precancerous and tobacco-related lesions: conclusions of an international symposium held in Uppsala, Sweden, May 18-21, 1994.J Oral Pathol Med. 1996; 25: 49-54
- Reviewing oral leukoplakia: clinical concepts for the 1990s.J Am Dent Assoc. 1991; 122: 80-82
- Leukoplakia of the mouth and pharynx in Rochester, MN, 1935-1984: incidence, clinical features and follow-up of 463 patients from a relatively unbiased patient pool [abstract].J Oral Pathol. 1988; 17: 436
- Leukoplakia revisited: a clinicopathologic study 3256 oral leukoplakias.Cancer. 1975; 36: 1386-1392
- Predicting cancer development in oral leukoplakia: ten years of translational research.Clin Cancer Res. 2000; 6: 1702-1710
- Leukoplakia, lichen planus, and other oral keratoses in 23,616 white Americans over the age of 35 years.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1986; 61: 373-381
- Occurrence of epithelial dysplasia in oral leukoplakia: analysis and follow-up study of 12 cases.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1976; 42: 766-774
- Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: a follow-up study of a hospital-based population of 166 patients with oral leukoplakia from The Netherlands.Oral Oncol. 1998; 34: 270-275
- Surgical management of oral and mucosal dysplasias: the case for surgical excision.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2007; 65: 287-292
- Oral epithelial dysplasia and the development of invasive squamous cell carcinoma.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1995; 79: 321-329
- Early diagnosis of asymptomatic oral and oropharyngeal squamous cancers.CA Cancer J Clin. 1995; 45: 328-351
- Erythroplakia of the oral cavity.Cancer. 1975; 36: 1021-1028
- Development of squamous cell carcinoma from pre-existent oral leukoplakia: with respect to treatment modality.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2001; 30: 49-53
- Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: report of a case with characteristic long-term progression.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2003; 61: 626-631
- Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: high incidence of gingival squamous cell carcinoma.J Oral Pathol Med. 2003; 32: 379-382
- Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: a follow-up study of 54 cases.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1997; 84: 154-157
- Oral cancer development in patients with oral lichen planus.J Oral Pathol Med. 1993; 22: 421-424
- Prognostic factors in intraoral squamous cell carcinoma: the influence of histologic grade.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2005; 63: 1599-1605
- Head and neck sites.in: Greene FL Page DL Fleming ID AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 6th ed. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY2002: 17-87
- The correlation between indices of deprivation and health-related quality of life in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006 Jun; 44 (Epub 2005 Aug 18.): 177-186
- Health-related quality of life in oral cancer: a review.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006; 64: 495-502
- Survival and patterns of recurrence in 200 oral cancer patients treated by radical surgery and neck dissection.Oral Oncol. 1999; 35: 257-265
- Patterns of cervical lymph node metastasis from squamous carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract.Am J Surg. 1990; 160: 405-409
- Predictive value of tumor thickness in squamous carcinoma confined to the tongue and floor of the mouth.Am J Surg. 1986; 152: 345-350
- The extracapsular spread of tumors in cervical node metastasis.Arch Otolaryngol. 1981; 107: 725-729
- Screening for distant metastases in patients with head and neck cancer.Laryngoscope. 2000; 110: 397-401
- Clinical nodal stage is an independently significant predictor of distant failure in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.Ann Surg. 2003; 238: 412-421
- Distant metastases after definitive radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.Head Neck. 2003; 25: 629-633
- Predictive factors for distant metastasis from oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.Oral Oncol. 2005 May; 41 (Epub 2005 Apr 9.): 534-541
- Surgical treatment of lung metastases of head and neck tumors.Am J Surg. 1997; 174: 499-502
- Treatment outcome in recurrent head and neck cancer.Arch Surg. 1979; 114: 39-42
- Evaluation of some prognostic factors in small squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue: a multicenter study in Sweden.Head Neck. 1989; 11: 387-392
- Resection margin as a predictor of recurrence at the primary site for T1 and T2 oral cancers: evaluation of histopathologic variables.Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996; 122: 521-525
- Treatment failure and margin status in head and neck cancer: a critical view on the potential value of molecular pathology.Oral Oncol. 2002; 38: 500-503
- Floor of mouth carcinoma: the management of the clinically negative neck.Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1995; 121: 278-282
- Evaluation of the dose for postoperative radiation therapy of head and neck cancer: first report of a prospective randomized trial.Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1993; 26: 3-11
- Postoperative concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for high-risk squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 1937-1944
- Postoperative irradiation with or without concomitant chemotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer.N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 1945-1952
- Long-term outcome of concurrent chemotherapy and reirradiation for recurrent and second primary head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma.Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2006 Feb 1; 64 (Epub 2005 Oct 5.): 382-391
- Salvage treatment for neck recurrence after irradiation alone for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with clinically positive neck nodes.Head Neck. 1999; 21: 591-594
- Salvage surgery for patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract: when do the ends justify the means?.Laryngoscope. 2000; 110: 1-18
- An analysis of cervical lymph nodes metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma: relationship between grade of histopathological malignancy and lymph nodes metastasis.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2003; 32: 284-288
- Death certification in patients whose primary treatment for oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma was operation: 1992-1997.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2001; 39: 204-209
Kademani D, Lewis J, Koka S, Lamb D, Rallis D, Keller E. Analysis of cause of death and patient survival in T1 oral squamous cell carcinoma. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. In press.
- Distant metastases in head and neck cancer patients who achieved loco-regional control.Head Neck. 2000; 22: 680-686
- Racial differences in survival of oral and pharyngeal cancer patients in North Carolina.J Public Health Dent. 1998; 58: 36-43
- Trends and differentials in mortality from cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx in the United States, 1973-1987.Cancer. 1994; 74: 565-572
- Carcinoma of the oral cavity: factors affecting treatment failure at the primary site and neck.Am J Surg. 1976; 132: 504-507
Article Info
Footnotes
Individual reprints of this article and a bound reprint of the entire Symposium on Solid Tumors will be available for purchase from our Web site www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- CORRECTIONMayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 82Issue 8
- PreviewIncorrect sentence and incorrect tumor stage: In the article by Kademani entitled “Oral Cancer,” published in the July 2007 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Mayo Clin Proc. 2007;82:878-887), an incorrect sentence was published in the abstract and an incorrect tumor stage was published in the legend to Figure 6. The second sentence of the abstract should read as follows: Of the 615,000 new cases of head and neck tumors reported worldwide in 2000, 300,000 were primary oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.
- Full-Text
- Preview
