Background: Oral cancer accounts for nearly one-fifth of all cancers in males and one-tenth in females globally. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 90% of the oral cancer. The occurrence rate of oral cancer is higher in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. In South Asia oral cancer constitutes 25% of all new cancer reported among males. The estimated incidence of oral cancer in Pakistan is 14.7%. Methods: A cross sectional observational study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi with a sample of 145 patients with pathological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. Patients were characterized into early stage (I and II) and advanced stage (III and IV), according to AJCC classification of tumors (2010). Data entry and analysis was carried out on SPSS 19. Qualitative data was expressed in percentages and results were accessed by Chi squared test. Results: The mean age was recorded 47.87 ± 12.50 years. Males participants were 63.4% and 36.6% females were incorporated in our study. More than half came with the Stage IV. 35.2% of participants became aware of their initial symptom before 6 months before pursuing any doctor. 83% patients presented with noteworthy habit of Tobacco or Chalia chewing. Bulk of the participants stated that they would have presented before if they had knowledge about the disease. 85% thought that increasing awareness of oral cancer through media may decrease the time in seeking help from qualified doctor. Conclusion: The study concludes that most of the participants presented late to the professional because of lack of knowledge about signs and symptoms of oral malignancy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.