Afsal S M

Salivary Tumour Markers In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Afsal S M

Oral Cancer is a major global public health problem with 3,00,000 new cases diagnosed annually. About 8% of all malignancies worldwide are Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. In India, OSSC represents 35% to 40% of all malignancies. It is the first most common cancer among Indian males and the third most common in women. Most Oral Cancer screening programs include the simple visual inspection. In case of asymptomatic lesions, the patient may be alerted by the dentist during a routine visit. This may be at a very latter stage of cancer progression. Therefore, there is a urgent need to develop tumor markers to identify high risk individuals. Tumor Markers are biochemical substances elaborated by tumor cells either due to the cause or effect of malignant process. A tumor marker produced by the tumor when present in significant amounts, indicates the presence of a cancer.