Dentaltown September 2015 - (Page 72)

pathology feature ORAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA DETECTION: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE by John C. Comisi, DDS, MAGD Who is at risk? Everyone! Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) have confounded the health-care profession for a long time. More than 90 percent of HNSCC are OSCC. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, approximately 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year, and 8,000 deaths will occur due to this disease. That is equivalent to one person dying every hour for an entire year. The five-year survival rate of those newly diagnosed with oral cancer has not significantly improved over the last 50 years. Additionally, the cost of treatment after diagnosis can be quite staggering. It has been estimated that approximately $3.2 billion is spent annually in the United States alone to treat these cancers.1 OSCC is an aggressive tumor with low response to chemotherapy and basic resistance to most standard-of-care anticancer drugs.2 The death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of 72 SEPTEMBER 2015 // dentaltown.com cervical cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, testicular cancer and skin cancer. In fact, oral cancer is three times more common than cervical cancer, with men twice as likely to be diagnosed. Additionally, oral cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer in black men. Who is at risk? Everyone! Twenty-five percent of oralcancer patients are nonsmokers and nondrinkers.3 The other 75 percent have the classic risk factors, including smoking, using chewing tobacco, betel-quid chewing and alcohol consumption. Individually, these factors increase the risk of developing oral cancer, but when combined, the probability of disease development drastically increases.4 Studies also show that there is a 16 percent to 36 percent chance of oral-cancer reoccurrence, in addition to the probability of developing subsequent cancers elsewhere in the body.5-7 Although the oral cavity is easily accessible for examination and evaluation, several factors limit the successful identification http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown September 2015

On Dentaltown.com
Continuing Education Update
Industry News
Product Profile: Planmeca
New Products
You Should Know: Lean Dental Solutions
Practice Solutions: Ultradent
Ad Index
Dentally Incorrect
CONTINUING EDUCATION: Considerations for Treatment of External Cervical Invasive Resorption
Case Report: Microbrush Stamp Technique
Working Through Pain: How Chronic Conditions Affect Dentists
HOWARD SPEAKS: Know Your Numbers
PROFESSIONAL COURTESY: TV Shows for Dentists
Passivhaus: Dentists Get Their Green On
A Green Dentist in a Bluegrass State
NuSmile Preveneered SSC Tips
Yet Again, Immediate Molar— Drill First, Extract Later
Turning Over a New Leaf
The 5 Tenets of Practice Success
Understanding the Sjögren’s Patient: Facilitating Diagnosis of Sjögren’s Syndrome
Sleepy Hollow Dentist Wants to Make a Change
Seeing the True Resorption Picture
Oral Squamous-Cell Carcinoma Detection
Solutions for Effectively Managing a Dental Offi ce
Seminar and Travel Pay: It’s No Vacation
Insurance Management is Easy if You Start with Evaluation

Dentaltown September 2015