[Oral cancer: Risk factors and management]

Abstract

Oral cavity is the most frequent anatomical subsite of upper aero-digestive tract malignancies. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological type and totalizes more than 95% of oral cancer. Main risk factors are tobacco and alcohol exposure and also potentially malignant lesions. These precancerous lesions are a chronic disease of oral mucosa and are responsible for about 20% of oral cancer. The treatment of oral cancer depends on clinical, radiological and endoscopic staging and according to the multidisciplinary tumor board decision. Indeed, tumor staging gives information about loco-regional and metastatic spread. Treatment can include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, the prognostic mainly depends on tumor resectability and patient comorbidities. Tumor removal is often associated with reconstruction procedures in order to restore phonation, swallowing and breathing functions with acceptable aesthetic outcomes. The usual delayed diagnosis explains the poor prognostic of oral cancer in spite of prevention attempt and therapeutic improvement. Indeed, the profile of tobacco and alcoholic patients outside of medical system, the high rate of recurrence and the frequency of second primary malignancies explain the stable incidence for years.