Mouth Cancer Awareness in General Population: Results from Grampian Region of Scotland, United Kingdom

Awareness of Oral Submucous Fibrosis among the Quid-Chewing South-Asian Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic disorder prevalent in South and Southeast Asia and is mainly related to the habit of chewing betel quid. Although there are numerous South-Asian studies about OSF, there is no study that evaluates the awareness of OSF among expatriate populations of South-Asian origin. Evaluated the awareness of OSF among South-Asian expatriate patients reporting to a dental hospital in Sharjah. Prevalidated questionnaires were given to 150 expatriate patients of South-Asian origin with quid-chewing habit reporting to the teaching clinics of a dental hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Among the 150 patients, 103 responded to the questionnaire. Among the 103 respondents, 11.65% were aware of OSF. Respondents living in shared residency and labor camps had significantly (P = 0.43) lower awareness of OSF compared to respondents living with their families. The results of our study show that the awareness of OSF is lower among the respondents living in labor camps and shared residencies. The younger respondents had more awareness of OSMF and were more likely to quit the quid-chewing habit.

The UK public and healthcare professionals' awareness of mouth cancer

As the rate of new mouth cancer diagnoses continues to increase in the UK, awareness of risk factors and signs and symptoms remains low. This paper focuses on studies showing UK public awareness of risk factors, including alcohol, tobacco and human papillomavirus, as well as public understanding of signs and symptoms of mouth cancer. It includes a review of the effectiveness of campaigns in raising awareness of mouth cancer and examples of campaigns targeting other common cancers or risk factors that may provide useful learning ahead of upcoming mouth cancer campaigns. In addition, the awareness of the wider healthcare team and the importance of their role in identifying mouth cancer is explored. Current live campaigns in the UK are highlighted ahead of future initiatives now that the Mouth Cancer Action Charter has been launched and two new coalitions have been established.

Tumor microenvironment remodeling in oral cancer: Application of plant derived-natural products and nanomaterials

Oral cancers consist of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and other malignancies in the mouth with varying degrees of invasion and differentiation. For many years, different modalities such as surgery, radiation therapy, and classical chemotherapy drugs have been used to control the growth of oral tumors. Nowadays, studies have confirmed the remarkable effects of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the development, invasion, and therapeutic resistance of tumors like oral cancers. Therefore, several studies have been conducted to modulate the TME in various types of tumors in favor of cancer suppression. Natural products are intriguing agents for targeting cancers and TME. Flavonoids, non-flavonoid herbal-derived molecules, and other natural products have shown promising effects on cancers and TME. These agents, such as curcumin, resveratrol, melatonin, quercetin and naringinin have demonstrated potency in suppressing oral cancers. In this paper, we will review and discuss about the potential efficacy of natural adjuvants on oral cancer cells. Furthermore, we will review the possible therapeutic effects of these agents on the TME and oral cancer cells. Moreover, the potential of nanoparticles-loaded natural products for targeting oral cancers and TME will be reviewed. The potentials, gaps, and future perspectives for targeting TME by nanoparticles-loaded natural products will also be discussed.

Targeting oral tumor microenvironment for effective therapy

Oral cancers are among the common head and neck malignancies. Different anticancer therapy modalities such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and also targeted molecular therapy may be prescribed for targeting oral malignancies. Traditionally, it has been assumed that targeting malignant cells alone by anticancer modalities such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy suppresses tumor growth. In the last decade, a large number of experiments have confirmed the pivotal role of other cells and secreted molecules in the tumor microenvironment (TME) on tumor progression. Extracellular matrix and immunosuppressive cells such as tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs) play key roles in the progression of tumors like oral cancers and resistance to therapy. On the other hand, infiltrated CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells are key anti-tumor cells that suppress the proliferation of malignant cells. Modulation of extracellular matrix and immunosuppressive cells, and also stimulation of anticancer immunity have been suggested to treat oral malignancies more effectively. Furthermore, the administration of some adjuvants or combination therapy modalities may suppress oral malignancies more effectively. In this review, we discuss various interactions between oral cancer cells and TME. Furthermore, we also review the basic mechanisms within oral TME that may cause resistance to therapy. Potential targets and approaches for overcoming the resistance of oral cancers to various anticancer modalities will also be reviewed. The findings for targeting cells and potential therapeutic targets in clinical studies will also be reviewed.

A survey of the awareness and knowledge of oral cancer among residents in Beijing

Background

The present study aimed to investigate oral cancer awareness and its related knowledge among residents in Beijing.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was conducted among Beijing residents concerning their knowledge of oral cancer, and its prevention and treatment.

Results

A total of 3055 questionnaires were completed, 45.8% by males and 54.2% by females. The ages of the respondents ranged from 15 to 93 years; 12.4% were smokers, 1.1% chewed betel nuts, and 82.5% brushed their teeth at least twice a day. Lung cancer was heard of by the most respondents, followed by gastric cancer and liver cancer; oral cancer was the least heard of. More than 60% of respondents were unaware of the risk factors and early signs of oral cancer.

Conclusions

This survey demonstrated a general lack of public awareness and knowledge about oral cancer. Specific measures should be taken to improve public awareness of oral cancer and its prevention and treatment.

Oral Cancer Awareness and Individuals' Inclination to Its Screening and Risk Prediction in Hong Kong

Assessing the baseline knowledge status and expectations of the target population of any health promotion and secondary prevention program is essential to the success of such intervention. To obtain this information about the Hong Kong population a priori to implementing these preventive strategies for oral cancer in addition to determining the willingness of potential screening participants to take risk-profiling assessments, a cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2019 and March 2020. A total of 964 residents between the ages 18 and 86 years were invited to participate in this study across the three geographical areas in Hong Kong. Most participants self-reported being aware of oral cancer (86.3%), although the proportion of those with substantial knowledge on salient risk factors and early identifiable signs were very low (2.9%). Age and level of education were the only demographic characteristics associated with the knowledge status. The proportion of participants willing to attend community screening and partake in risk profiling assessment was high (83.9% and 80.9% respectively). Willingness to attend community screening was directly associated with respondents' self-reported oral cancer awareness status (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.22-2.96). Also, we observed that those participants who were willing to attend screening are more inclined to take risk prediction assessments that those not willing to attend. These findings have showcased the need to intensify health promotion via personal skills development to encourage early disease presentation and will assist in the planning of these programs accordingly in the Hong Kong population.