[Oral cancer--molecular aberrations and tumor markers cellular aberrations]

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity is the sixth most frequent cancer in the world and approximately 30,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the United States, 60% occur in males and over 90% of the cases occur in patients over 45 years of age. The overall 5-year survival rate for patients with oral SCC is among the lowest for major cancers and has not changed during the past two decades. Assessing the severity of oral cancer prior to choosing the therapeutic strategy administered is of paramount importance. Molecular probing significantly increases the sensitivity and specificity of conventional histopathology. One example is the suitability demonstrated of TPS and Cyfra 21-1 in early detection of oral SCC and for its treatment monitoring. Another example is that inhibitors of SCC lesions attachment to laminin can now be tested as inhibitors of metastasis in experimental animal models. This type of information may eventually lead to the development of a new class of therapeutic agents that can alter the biologic behavior of oral squamous cell carcinoma in patients. In any case, oral cancer remains a disfiguring disease associated with a high mortality rate.