Oral Cancer in Asia - A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: In 2020, Asian countries accounted for almost two-third of the 377,000 new cases of Oral Cancer (OC) globally. High OC incidence poses a significant burden on the Asian population, but there is a lack of recent studies examining OC in Asia. Hence, an update on the epidemiology of OC in Asia is warranted. This review aims to consolidate epidemiological data on OC in Asia published between 2012 and 2021. Method: ology: A search was conducted on PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar for articles published between 2012 and 2021. There was no language restriction for articles. Articles reporting on the epidemiology of OC in Asia were included. The identified articles were critically appraised with the Joanna Brigs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal tool for Prevalent Studies. Results: 39 papers were identified that provided data across 27 countries in Asia. Most Asian countries reported rising incidence except among Hong Kong and Korean males, and Mumbai females. Besides Laos, Cambodia and certain regions in Thailand, all other regions in Asia showed male predilection. The mean age was in the late fifties. Tongue was the predominant site for most countries. Most OC presented as Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Growing OC trends among females and in the younger populations were found in some Asian countries. Conclusion: The lack of comprehensive epidemiologic data on OC in Asia despite its significant disease burden highlights the need to implement national-level registries to provide accessible data on OC in Asia, which will help to formulate effective prevention and treatment programs. An optimistic association between abstinence from tobacco and alcohol consumption and declining incidence rates bodes well for efforts directed at lifestyle modifications to reduce OC incidence.