Epidemiology of oral cancer in Arab countries

Abstract

Objectives:To review the oral cancer (OC) studies that were conducted in Arab countries with regard to epidemiology, risk factors, and prognosis.Methods:A computer-based PubMed literature search was performed to retrieve studies conducted in the Arab world on epidemiology of OC. After screening for exclusion criteria, cross-referencing, and searching local journals, a total of 19 articles were included.Results:Eight prevalence studies found an OC prevalence ranging from 1.8 to 2.13 per 100,000 persons. Oral cancer patients were mostly in their fifth to sixth decade of life, and the incidence in younger age was reported in some Arab countries. Yemenis have an alarming high prevalence of OC among people younger than 45 years. Eleven studies explored determinants or prognosis of OC. Behavioral determinants such as smokeless tobacco (Shamma and Qat), and cigarette smoking were strongly associated with OC. Alcohol drinking and solar radiation exposures were cited as possible risk factors. The most affected sites were tongue, floor of the mouth, and lower lip variations in the affected site were attributed to the socio-cultural behavior of the populations under study. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequently detected cancer, and usually patients were in late stages (III and IV) at the time of diagnosis.Conclusion:No solid evidence exists regarding the true OC prevalence/incidence in most Arab countries due to the lack of national cancer registries and population-based studies.

Clinico‐pathological Features and Outcome of Treatment of Saudi Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer: A Single Institutional Experience

“…Two-thirds of our cases were presented in advanced stages. This is concordant with the findings in other studies in different geographical areas [12,13,[20][21][22]. However, some studies, especially from the western world, showed a higher percentage of early diseases [10,23,24].…”

“…Also, another study from Saudi Arabia showed 45% of oral cancer cases were of primary tongue origin [11]. In a recent review analysis of oral cancer in different Arab countries, tongue was the most common primary tumor site [12]. This is not the case among Asian populations.…”

Oral‐cancer knowledge, practice, and attitude assessment of dentists in Upper Egypt: A cross‐sectional study

“…Oral cancer (OC) is one of the global diseases, which occupies the eighth rank among different types known of cancers (Petersen, Bourgeois, Ogawa, Estupinan‐Day, & Ndiaye, ; Razavi, Zolfaghari, Foroohandeh, Doost, & Tahani, ). Annually, the estimated number of OC new cases exceeds 300.000 cases (Al‐Jaber, Al‐Nasser, & El‐Metwally, ). Although the diverse distribution of the disease incidence worldwide, the number of new cases demonstrates increase in developing countries (Lopez‐Jornet, Camacho‐Alonso, & Molina‐Minano, ).…”

Molecular and health effects in the upper respiratory tract associated with tobacco smoking other than cigarettes

“…The authors of an extended systematic review of oral cancer in Arab countries were able to associate cancer incidence with water‐pipe smoking only in part. Nevertheless, commonly detected cancer of the tongue, floor of the mouth, and lower lip was attributed to the socio‐cultural behavior of the study population which would include water‐pipe usage . There are also publications about association of tumors outside the respiratory tract with water‐pipe smoking.…”