Original article
English
Mohamed A. Jaber, Salem H. Abu Fanas
Department of Surgical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ajman University of Science & Technology
IJMBS 2010, 2(3):105-110
Abstract
The objective of this study is to describe aspects of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a cohort of hospital patients in Libya. The patterns of clinical presentation of oral squamous OSCC in 122 Libyan patients from 1979-2004 were retrospectively analysed. Men were affected more often than women with the average age at presentation 53 years. Just over half the patients had symptoms for more than six months prior to presentation. The tongue and floor of the mouth were the most commonly affected sites. In 30.3% of patients the OSCC presented as an ulcer, in 20.4% as a swelling, and in 19% as a white patch. The majority of the patients had stage III or IV disease when first examined. Nearly 80% of the patients were tobacco smokers. It was concluded that the pattern of clinical occurrence of OSCC in Libya was similar to previous reports from Western Europe and Asia. The results of the present study highlight the need for an appropriate strategy to prevent OSCC and reduce delays in the diagnosis and treatment of such disease in Libya.
Keywords: Libya; Malignancy; Oral; Squamous cell carcinoma
Link/DOI: http://journals.sfu.ca/ijmbs/index.php/ijmbs/article/view/46/168