Oral cancer in South East Asia

Abstract

Objectives: To document the burden of oral cancer in South East Asia (SEA) and to examine the gaps in acquiring accurate data within these countries. Methods: Epidemiological data on oral cancer from countries in SEA were obtained and reviewed from public population-based databases. Descriptions on the incidence and mortality of oral cancer were based on data obtained from GLOBOCAN 2012, and prediction of the number of cases and deaths due to oral cancer were also taken from the same database. The availability of and accessibility to population-based cancer registry were also documented. Results: Five of the eleven countries in SEA have national cancer registries, but the reporting periods varied from 2002 to 2014 across these countries. Whilst incidence and mortality data were obtainable for all SEA countries from GLOBOCAN 2012, data quality varied substantially across the countries. Estimated incidences of oral cancer ranged from 1.6 to 8.6/100,000 per annum with similar rates in males and females for most countries. The incidence was the highest in Myanmar and Brunei for males and females, respectively. Mortality due to oral cancer was reported to be 0.4 to 5.3/100,000, with the highest mortality in Myanmar and Timor-Leste among males and females, respectively. Based on the predicted number of cases and deaths for 2020, oral cancer incidence and mortality is expected to increase and the trends are similar between males and females, which is not surprising as with population growth, the disease burden will rise further. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a severe lack of accurate epidemiological data on oral cancer and underscores the urgent need to develop expertise within this region that can address this issue. While there is a clear need for improved primary prevention, for increased skilled workforce and for improved diagnostic and treatment facilities, an essential first step is to establish robust cancer registries so that progress or lack thereof can be monitored accurately, and appropriate action planned.

Association of Interleukin-10 Genotypes and Oral Cancer Susceptibility in Selected Malaysian Population: A Case- Control Study

“…Globally, the prevalence of oral cancer distribution was 11% in SEA (South-east Asia). In Malaysia, the reported mortality rate was predicted to be increase from 253 in 2012 to 336 by 2020 giving a possible increase of 32.8% in mortality rate (Cheong et al, 2017). This potential increase may be due to the increase in use of tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco and betel quid chewing which is highly associated with oral cancers.…”

“…Previous studies showed IL10 expression levels were significantly higher in individuals with HPV-16 infected high grade of cervical neoplasia, when compared with normal cervical epithelium. This suggests IL10 may play a role in progression of HPV-associated cervical pre-cancers (Cheong et al, 2017).…”

Oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Oceania

“…These issues are addressed in a separate paper outlining data to the Global Oral Cancer Forum about the burden of OCC-OPC in South East Asia, recently published in this journal. 39 Globally, the projected increase in the incidence of OCC-OPC in developing countries is set to put significant pressure on these countries who are typically ill-equipped to deal with the burden this will place on their healthcare infrastructure and limited resources. 40,41…”

Buccal swab, a minimally invasive method for the screening of oral cancer in active smokers

“…Among the South East Asia countries, Indonesia reported the highest incidence of oral cancer. A number of 5329 cases were reported in Indonesia in 2012 and this incidence is predicted to increase year by year [2]. Although these data showed a serious problem, there is a lack of awareness of health society toward oral cancer.…”