Description
"Decoding Oral Cancer: Let's Begin Cancer Talk" is an initiative aimed at raising awareness about oral cancer, its causes, early warning signs, and the importance of timely diagnosis. Oral cancer, which can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks, and throat, is often linked to lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and poor oral hygiene. This campaign encourages open dialogue about the disease to reduce stigma and promote early detection, which significantly improves treatment outcomes. It also emphasizes preventive care, regular dental check-ups, and public education as key strategies in the fight against oral cancer.
Summary Listen
- Oral cancer remains a significant healthcare challenge due to persistently high mortality rates despite advancements in diagnostics and treatment. The speaker emphasizes that the lack of improvement may stem from treating all oral cancers the same, despite their inherent differences at morphological, histological, and molecular levels.
- The lecture advocates for a personalized approach to oral cancer management. Customization requires a deep understanding of each cancer's unique characteristics, essentially creating a "horoscope" to predict its behavior and response to therapy. This "horoscope" relies on identifying and interpreting prognostic indicators.
- The presentation begins by exploring morphological clues of oral cancer, including the primary tumor site. Cancers of the lip, buccal mucosa, and gingiva generally exhibit better prognoses, while tumors of the floor of the mouth, tongue, and soft palate tend to be more aggressive. Tumor size, especially exceeding 4cm, is also a significant prognostic factor according to the TNM classification, although exceptions exist.
- The speaker focuses on key histopathological markers, highlighting tumor grade and differentiation. Well-differentiated tumors generally have better prognoses, while poorly differentiated tumors exhibit more aggressive behavior. The lecture thoroughly discusses the importance of assessing tumor thickness and depth of invasion, as they predict nodal metastasis and recurrence.
- Invasive patterns, the nature of tumor cells invading the surrounding tissues, are crucial prognostic factors. Cohesive cells in large islands indicate better prognoses, while non-cohesive cells, particularly individually invading cells, suggest aggressive behavior. Lymph node involvement, especially the level and extent of metastasis, is a critical determinant of survival rates.
- Extracapsular invasion, when tumor cells spread beyond the lymph node capsule, signifies a grave prognosis. This involves grading, staging of such invasion. Lymphovascular and perineural invasion, along with muscle and bone invasion, are also highlighted as indicators of aggressive behavior and poor outcomes.
- Surgical margins, particularly the distance of invasive tumor cells from the excised tissue, are vital for predicting recurrence and survival. Clear margins (5mm or more) are associated with the best outcomes, while involved margins result in significantly lower survival rates. The presentation touches on the grim prognosis associated with distant metastasis.
- Finally, the lecture addresses molecular pathology, including markers like EGFR, beta-catenin, HIF-1alpha, and VEGF. The speaker concludes by reiterating the need for multidisciplinary care but also for customized diagnosis and treatment plans based on the individual characteristics of each oral cancer. The main purpose is to listen to cancer cues carefully and watch out for prognostic markers.
Sample Certificate
About the Speakers
Dr. Ketki Kalele
Founder Director, WARKAS Research & Innovations Pvt Ltd, Maharashtra, India
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