A special review, role of alcohol and smoking in the squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, advanced diagnostic aids in oral cancer

Oral cancers are one of the most common cancers worldwide today. They are usually neglected by the common population when compared to systemic cancers such as the lung cancer, colon cancer, Betel quid chewers, alcoholism, and tobacco etc. These are the most common malignancies in South and Southeast Asian countries. Oral premalignancies are also very common in betel quid chewers and about 10% of these undergo malignant transformation .Alcohol and tobacco are responsible for a very large proportion of chronic disease and some tumors in particular may be the result of interactions between the two risk factors. The present systematic literature review was conducted to judge combined effects of alcohol drinking and tobacco, as well as and genetic polymorphisms on alcohol-related cancer risk. However, they also may be extremely fatal if left untreated even at a very initial stage of the lesion. Early detection and treatment gives the best chance for its cure. The five-year survival rate of oral cancer still remains low and delayed diagnosis is suggested to be one of the major reasons. The detection and diagnosis are currently based on clinical examination, histopathological evaluation of the biopsy material and molecular methods. Several diagnostic aids have been developed over the years for early detection of oral cancer. The purpose of this article is to review the advanced available diagnostic adjuncts for the detection of oral cancer.