Page 48 - Essentia Vol 5 Issue 1

VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026 VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026
A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION

WARNING
SIGNS TO WATCH Oral
Premalignancies

White or Changes
red patches caused by
inside the tobacco or Recognising Early
mouth areca nut use
Warning Signs

Stiffness Lesions
or reduced that do not
mouth heal or keep
opening recurring
Dr Ahimik Biswas
Dental Surgeon
Persistent Community Outreach Programme
irritation from
sharp teeth Hailakandi

ral cancer is often preceded by oral lesions, oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and
premalignant lesions. Yet many patients smoker’s palate. Among these, leukoplakia,
Opresent only at advanced stages, leading erythroplakia and OSMF show the highest rates of
to poorer outcomes and reduced quality of life. malignant transformation.
Because visible oral changes may appear before
cancer develops, early identification is a key Oral Premalignancies in Focus
opportunity for prevention and timely treatment. Some visible changes in the mouth can appear

Oral cancer and risk factors before oral cancer develops.
These conditions carry a higher risk of turning
Oral cancer refers to cancers of the oral cavity and cancerous and should be detected early through
oropharynx. In India, it is the most prevalent cancer oral screening:
among males, with an age-standardised rate
(ASR) of 13.9 per 100,000 population (IARC, 2018).
Approximately 119,992 new oral cancer cases are
diagnosed in India annually.
Common risk factors include alcohol and tobacco
consumption, betel quid or areca nut chewing,
Oral
dietary factors, infections, chronic tissue trauma Leukoplakia Erythroplakia submucous
caused by sharp teeth, and prolonged sun fibrosis
exposure.

Oral potentially malignant disorders The role of screening

An oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) When primary prevention fails, secondary
is a morphologically altered tissue in which oral prevention through mass awareness, early
cancer is more likely to occur than in apparently diagnosis and timely treatment becomes essential
normal tissue. These disorders include leukoplakia, in reducing oral cancer incidence and mortality.
erythroplakia, oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid Dental surgeons play an important role in screening

48 The smallest warning sign can become the greatest opportunity to save a life. 49