[Chemoprevention of oral cancer]

Abstract

Background: Morbidity and mortality from oral cancer is still considerable, and has not improved significantly over the last four or five decades. Early preventive intervention in persons at high risk may improve treatment results.

Material and methods: This review is based on our previously published data and by searches in the Medline and PubMed databases, using the following terms as key words: "oral premalignancies", "oral leukoplakia", "tumour progression", "genomic instability", "aneuploidy", "prognosis", "head and neck cancer", and "chemoprevention".

Results: Chemoprevention requires the early and reliable identification of persons at high risk of cancer. Retinoids have a clinically documented effect towards head-and-neck cancer, but are associated with unacceptable side-effects. Coxibs and inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptors are candidate agents for chemoprevention of oral cancer.

Interpretation: It is now possible to identify persons at high risk of developing oral cancer who may benefit from chemopreventive use of coxibs or inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptors.