Risk factor profile of oral cancer patients in North East India

Abstract

Background :India has one of the highest rates of oral cancer with a rampant tobacco smoking and chewing habits. Use of betel quid is very common inIndiaespecially in North Eastern India where it is regularly used even by women. In recent years, tobacco use has become more common among the younger people including school children. Methods : 100 cases of oral cancer belonging to both sexes and confirmed by histopathology were included in the study. A predesigned questionnaire to obtain information about the demographic profile, socio-economic status and risk factors was given to all the study participants. Findings : An analysis of the data collected revealed that 70% of the sites of ulcer have been on the left portion of the oral cavity. On hypothesizing chewing of tobacco with the occurrence of ulcers on left side based on the collected data of usage of tobacco primarily in the left portion of the mouth by the patients, analysis revealed a high correlation between chewing tobacco with these types of cancers. This trend was strongly evident in case of ulcer on the left of buccal mucosa. This was validated both for the males and females, the former being more statistically significant. In the case of females, as they are primarily tobacco chewers in contrast to smoking habits of males, addressing this issue specifically through health education programmes, awareness, etc can reduce the incidence of cancer in this gender substantially.