Oral Cancer claims one life in every 7 mts: Expert

Bangalore, Aug 31 (UNI) Indian Dental Association General Secretary Ashok Dhoble said oral cancer was claiming a life every seven minutes in the country and nearly 92,000 new cases were reported every year.

He said 80 per cent of the oral cancer cases reported were in the later stages of the disease, leading to just a five-year survival for the 30 per cent of the patients.

Speaking after launching of India's first ''revolutionary and pathbreaking Brush Biopsy technology'' for oral cancer prevention by former Cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin and formation of Oral Cancer Foundation here, he said the disease ranked number one in dental diseases in the country. It constituted 12 per cent of all cancers in men and eight per cent among women.

Stating that use of tobacco was the main reason for oral cancer, he said it was estimated that 400 million individuals aged 15 years and above use tobacco in one form or other.

Dr Mark Rutenberg, scientist and inventor of the 'Brush Biopsy', said formation of the Foundation and the launch of 'Brush Biopsy' technology would ensure a significant decrease in number of oral cancer deaths in the country.

Oral CDx, a computer assisted method for analysing the oral brush biopsy, can help confirm the nature of apparently benign oral lesions and significantly, reveal pre-cancerous and cancerous cases.

Oral CDx can prevent oral cancer by facilitating routine painless testing of the common red areas in the mouth that appear in about 10 per cent of the adult population.

Azharuddin in his address, highlighted the significance of awareness drive in preventing oral cancer.

UNI