A report on 222 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after cardiovascular diseases. Cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx accounts for approximately 2.5% of all cancer cases. This study attempts to highlight some of the risk factors and the clinical signs associated with oral cancer. Data over a 13-year period were collected from the Case Western Reserve University Oral Pathology Laboratory. There were 222 cases of squamous cell carcinoma. The results indicated that the typical male patient was 7 years younger than the typical female patient. Apart from the use of alcohol and tobacco, the wearing of removable prostheses was associated with an increased rate of malignancy. The risks of malignancy were associated with the site and color of the lesions. In addition, we found that the suspicion of cancer among clinicians tend to be higher when the lesions were larger, ulcerated, painful, and hemorrhagic.