Advanced Diagnostic Aids in Oral Cancer Detection

Oral cancer is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Three hundred thousand patients (2.1% of the total cancer cases) were afflicted with cancer of the oral cavity and lip in 2012. One hundred and forty-five thousand patients passed away from cancer of the oral cavity and lip. The oral cavity is defined as the anatomical space which lies between an imaginary coronal plane drawn from the junction of the soft and hard palate and the circumvallate papillae of the tongue to the vermillion of the lips. There are seven oral cavity subsites that are used to classify the oral cavity cancer (lip, tongue, floor of mouth, buccal, hard palate, alveolar, retromolar trigone and soft palate). The standard of care is primary surgical resection with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy. Successful treatment of patients with oral cancer is predicated on multidisciplinary treatment strategies to maximize oncologic control and minimize impact of therapy on form and function.