Gupta P C
Epidemiology Research Unit, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
J Indian Med Assoc. 1999 Sep;97(9):370-3.
Oral cancer has been traditionally described as a major form of cancer in India although on the basis of cancer registry data, it was thought that the incidence has decreased. There are several recent reports in the literature, however, predicting an increase in mouth cancer incidence in India. This prediction is based upon observation of an increasing prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis, especially in younger individuals, caused by gutka, an industrially manufactured food item. A comparison of the age distribution of recently reported oral submucous fibrosis cases and incident cases reported in the past clearly establishes that the disease is now occurring at much younger ages. A comparison of the age specific incidence rates of mouth cancer (ICD 143-5) during 1983-87 and 1995 in the city of Ahmedabad shows that the incidence has significantly increased in the younger population (< 50 years). Since tongue cancer (ICD 141) does not show a similar increase, it is concluded that the increase in mouth cancer incidence is real. Urgent public health measures are required to curb this new but avoidable epidemic.
传统上，口腔癌一直被认为是印度癌症的主要形式，尽管根据癌症登记数据，人们曾认为其发病率有所下降。然而，最近文献中有几篇报道预测印度口腔癌发病率将会上升。这一预测基于对口腔黏膜下纤维化患病率上升的观察，尤其是在年轻人中，而这是由一种工业生产的食品——古特卡导致的。将最近报告的口腔黏膜下纤维化病例的年龄分布与过去报告的发病病例进行比较，清楚地表明该疾病现在正发生在更年轻的年龄段。对艾哈迈达巴德市1983 - 1987年和1995年期间口腔癌（国际疾病分类代码143 - 5）的年龄别发病率进行比较，结果显示年轻人群（< 50岁）的发病率显著上升。由于舌癌（国际疾病分类代码141）并未呈现类似的上升趋势，因此得出结论，口腔癌发病率的上升是真实存在的。需要采取紧急公共卫生措施来遏制这一新型但可避免的流行病。
