Oral squamous cell carcinoma remains as the most prevalent head and neck cancer worldwide, with higher incidence rates in developing countries, as a consequence of a more elevated exposure to tobacco and alcohol carcinogens.
Primary prevention, based on lifestyle alterations as quitting smoking and alcohol drinking, is still essential, but secondary prevention, focused on early diagnosis and prompt treatment of suspected lesions has been shown to be effective in reducing mortality in high risk populations. Leukoplakia is the most commonly diagnosed oral preneoplastic lesion and the risk of malignant transformation is around 20% over a period of 30 years.
In the study published by Saintigny et al.1, of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the authors aimed to determine the value of gene expression profiling as a predictor of oral cancer development among individuals with oral premalignant lesions....Read more
