Ahmed Siddiq M, Jigna V R
Department of General Pathology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
Ann Diagn Pathol. 2009 Apr;13(2):140-5. doi: 10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2008.12.003.
Oral cancers have been one of the leading causes of deaths particularly in the developing countries. Prime reason for this high mortality and morbidity is attributed to the delay in diagnosis and prompt treatment. Relentless research in the field of oncology has led to advent of novel procedures for the early detection of oral cancers. Molecular biology is highly promising in this regard. It is a procedure that detects alterations at a molecular level much before they are seen under a microscope and much before clinical changes occur. Molecular studies serve as basis by which we will eventually be able not only to augment clinical assessment and classification of oral lesions but also predict malignant potential of oral lesions, thus reducing incidence and increasing the scope for early diagnosis and treatment of oral cancers. However, making such sophisticated tools available for the common man in developing countries is one of the most important challenges faced today.
口腔癌一直是主要的死亡原因之一，尤其是在发展中国家。造成这种高死亡率和高发病率的主要原因是诊断延迟和治疗不及时。肿瘤学领域的不懈研究带来了早期检测口腔癌的新方法。分子生物学在这方面极具前景。这是一种在分子水平上检测变化的方法，远早于在显微镜下观察到变化以及临床变化出现之前。分子研究为我们最终不仅能够加强口腔病变的临床评估和分类，还能预测口腔病变的恶性潜能提供了基础，从而降低口腔癌的发病率，增加早期诊断和治疗的机会。然而，让发展中国家的普通人能够使用这些精密工具是当今面临的最重要挑战之一。
