Oral Cancer: Shifting Risk Profiles, Late Diagnoses, and the Urgency of Early Screening

• Over 90% of oral cancer cases in India are linked to tobacco, predominantly affecting men due to cultural normalization.
• Clinicians are increasingly seeing oral cancer in women and younger patients without tobacco use history, with HPV identified as a contributing factor.
• Despite being visually accessible, oral cancer is often diagnosed late in India, leading to more invasive and less effective treatments.
• Screening programs, as highlighted by Dr. Sultan A. Pradhan, can reduce mortality by 24-30% through early detection of precancerous conditions.
• Advances in molecular diagnostics, including deep DNA sequencing and circulating tumor DNA, promise earlier detection, as noted by Dr. Shyam Aggarwal.