Risk Factors Associated with Oral Cancer: A Hospital-based Case-control Study in Telangana State, India

The use of tobacco products and alcohol consumption are two of the main risk factors for cancer of the oral cavity. The contribution of other factors such as diet, genetic predisposition, oral hygiene, and demographic variables to the occurrence of oral cancer has been debatable. This study explored the association between different risk factors and the risk of oral cancer using propensity score methods.

A case-control study was conducted in Hyderabad, Telangana state, India in cancer hospitals between October 2022 and July 2023. Direct interviews with 238 cases and 450 controls were used to gather information about the different risk factors using structured data collection forms. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression along with computation of propensity scores and inverse probability of treatment weighting for odds ratios (ORs) with weighted logistic regression were conducted using R version 4.3.2.

Bivariate analysis found a significant difference in tobacco use, duration of use, frequency of alcohol consumption, and vegetable consumption between the cases and controls. Comparing cases of oral cancer to controls, the propensity weighed ORs were higher for those who had a habit of using smokeless tobacco (OR = 9.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.624-15.143) and smoking (OR = 8.96, 95% CI: 4.988-16.113) for more than 10 years. Oral cancer risk factors also included a history of chronic trauma in the mouth (OR = 3.00, 95% CI: 1.287-6.996) and daily alcohol consumption (OR = 5.69, 95% CI: 3.518-9.220).

This study establishes the role of tobacco use as a risk factor for oral cancer, with an emphasis on duration of use, and provides supporting evidence for the role of chronic oral trauma in oral cavity cancer.