Assessment and Projections of the Burden of Lip and Oral Cancer among Indian Men

The oral cavity includes the lips, buccal mucosa, teeth, gingiva, anterior two third of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and hard palate. Comprehensive data on the burden of oral cancer are lacking at the national and state levels. Therefore, analysing the changing trend in oral cancer in India over the last three decades fills a significant gap.

In this study, the number of new cancer cases, the population at risk, and the crude incidence rate were extracted from the GBD 2019 data. We used the Joinpoint regression to assess the trends in age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 population for lip ad oral cancer among men in India from 1990 to 2019 and we used the cancer registry data for the projection of the cancer incidence for all the states, union territories, and India every five years from 2026 to 2036 for lip and oral cancer among men.

The estimate of lip and oral cancer cases among Indian men will be 131,414 in 2026, will increase to 147,488 during 2031, and will increase to 163,224 during 2036.

The present study estimates the lip and oral cancer cases, which will help for planning purpose of cancer screening facilities for early detection, awareness of cancer, modifying lifestyle, reduction in tobacco use, and establishment of adequate treatment guidelines that can effectively be carried out at different levels (district hospitals, teaching hospitals, specialized hospitals, etc.) would also help in the reduction of mortality due to oral cancer as well as the burden of oral cancer.