Epidemiological Aspects of Oral Cancer in North Indian Population

Head and neck cancers are common in the developing nations, especially in the south-east Asia. They account for the commonest malignancy type in India and pose a major public health concern. Oral cancer is the commonest of all head and neck malignancies.

It is a prospective study done from January 2017 to July 2018 at a tertiary care centre with patient population ranging from 22 to 87 years of age. All the 128 patients, irrespective of their gender, with a proven malignancy of the oral cavity were observed for various epidemiological and disease characteristics.

Oral cavity cancers were more common in males than females. It is prevalent in the age group of 60-70 years. The most common site of involvement is the buccal mucosa followed by the tongue. Tobacco chewing and smoking is the most significant risk factor associated. The most commonly involved neck nodes are level I and II lymph nodes.

Oral cancers are common in Indian population. It presents at advanced stage due to poor socioeconomic status of the patients. However, it has also been seen in younger population owing to increasing use of tobacco products. Preventive strategy, based on the epidemiological characteristics, is the need of the hour to reduce the disease burden.