News Desk
KARACHI: Oral cancer is one of the major health problems in Pakistan, and the delay in cancer treatment can lead to advanced high cancer. Pakistan is ranked amongst the top three countries with the highest prevalence of oral cancer in the world. The extensive use of smokeless tobacco products, like paan, gutkha, chaalia, naswar, mawa and tobacco cigarettes, is one of the major causes of oral cancer in Pakistan.
Prof. Dr. Shahjahan Katpar, Maxillofacial Surgeon and former Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, expressed these views while delivering a public awareness lecture on “Oral Cancer and Dental Health” held in the lecture hall of the L.E.J. National Science Information Center at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi on Friday. The public awareness lecture was mutually organized by the Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) and the Sindh Innovation Research, and Education Network (SIREN).
Prof. Shahjahan said that early detection in the treatment of oral cancer, and oral cancer screening were crucial, as mouth cancer could strike in several places, including the lips, tongue, gums, and cheeks. The screening of oral cancer starts with a clinical exam of a patient’s mouth and throat, he maintained.
The prevalence of oral cancer is higher worldwide as more than 377,700 cases were reported in 2020. The extensive use of smokeless tobacco products is making the disease spread in Pakistan, as the country is ranked amongst the top three countries with the highest prevalence of oral cancer in the world, he lamented.
Prof. Shahjahan pointed out that the prevalence of the disease required the government to set up oral cancer hospitals separately in the country.
Talking about oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), he said that OSF resulted in marked rigidity and an eventual inability to open the mouth. OSF is a Potentially malignant disorder that can affect any part of the oral cavity, he added.
Talking about the symptoms of oral cancer, he said some major symptoms included a lump in your neck, loose teeth, swelling or a sore on your lip that won’t heal, difficult or painful swallowing, changes in speech, bleeding or numbness in the mouth, white or red patches on the mouth, tongue or gums, and unexplained weight loss.
He advised the people with any sign of the disease that they should not panic but consult an oral surgeon for early diagnosis, as early diagnosis could lead to a good prognosis.
