This Cochrane review of adjunctive diagnostic tests for oral cancer included 41 studies assessing vital staining, cytology, and light-based tests. The available studies were of poor quality detection with none of the tests being considered as a replacement for the currently used standard of a scalpel biopsy and histological assessment.
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This review of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for oral premalignant lesions only identified a small number of poor quality studies that provide insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of PDT for the management of oral premalignant lesions.
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This new review investigated the effect of alcohol on 23 cancer types. They included 572 case-control and cohort studies and using meta-analysis and a dose–response meta-regression model found relative risks for heavy drinkers compared with nondrinkers and occasional drinkers were 5.13 for oral and pharyngeal cancer, 4.95 for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 1.44 for colorectal, 2.65 for laryngeal and 1.61 for breast cancer.
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Early detection of oral cancer improves prognosis so methods to improve diagnosis are welcome. The review we look at today looks at two light-based systems: chemiluminescence or autofluorescence. 25 studies were included and they are well summarised but few were tested in primary care. Neither system provided much improvement on the level of sensitivity and specificity achieved by conventional oral examination. Therefore it is suggested that these tools are better suited to specialist clinics in which there is a higher prevalence of disease and where experienced clinicians may better discriminate between benign and malignant lesions.
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Mouth cancers form part of a wider group of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and oesphagus), which are strongly associated with smoking and alcohol. The aim of this review was to quantify the association between alcohol drinking and UADT cancer mortality The Medline and ISI Web of Science databases were searched [read the full story…]
Yesterday we looked at a review of the effectiveness of oral examination to detect potentially malignant disorders and mouth cancer today we are looking the latest version of the Cochrane review on screening programmes for the detection and prevention of oral cancer. The overall aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of current [read the full story…]
November is Mouth Cancer Awareness month here in the UK and around 6,500 cases are diagnosed a year. Mouth cancer is the 6th commonest cancer worldwide. In India, Sir Lanka and Pakistan it is the most common cancer for men and is responsible for 30% of all new cancer cases. Tobacco use, alcohol consumption, betel [read the full story…]
Worldwide oral and oropharyngeal cancer is the 6th most common cancer. Treatment often affects the individuals’ ability to eat, speak and interact with others and so is associated with significant physical and psychological burdens. This review aimed to describe the quality of life (QoL) outcomes and support needs in patients with oral cancer along the [read the full story…]
There are three new protocols on the February issue of the Cochrane Library The first protocol Carrasco-Labra A, Brignardello-Petersen R, Yanine N, Araya I, Rada G, Chadwick RG. Professionally-applied chemically-induced whitening of teeth in adults (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD010379. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010379. aims to assess the effects of [read the full story…]
December brings two new protocols to the Cochrane Library from the Cochrane Oral Health Group. The first of these:- Liu JLY, Walsh T, Kerr AR, Lingen M, Brocklehurst P, Ogden G, Warnakulasuriya S, Scully C. Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident lesions (Protocol). Cochrane Database of [read the full story…]
