@article{MAKHILLRJMS202519531861,
    title = {Factors Delaying the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer: A Hospital Based Study},
    journal = {Research Journal of Medical Sciences},
    volume = {19},
    number = {5},
    pages = {21-27},
    year = {2025},
    issn = {1815-9346},
    doi = {makrjms.2025.5.21.27},
    url = {https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?issn=1815-9346&doi=makrjms.2025.5.21.27},
    author = {Sanjay,Mohd.,Nishant,Siddharth and},
    keywords = {Oral cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, alternative medicine, surgery, prognosis},
    abstract = {The term oral cavity refers to lips, buccal mucosa, alveolar ridges, retro
molar trigone, hard palate, floor of the mouth and anterior two‐thirds of
the tongue. Oral cancer or oral cavity cancer, a subtype of head and neck
cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. India has
about one third of oral cancer cases in the world.In India, 20 per 100000
populations are affected by oral cancer which accounts for about 30% of
all types of cancer. In general, more men suffer and die from oral cancer
than women. Worldwide, oral cancer has one of the lowest survival rates
that remain unaltered despite recent therapeutic advances. Since time
immemorial, this problem has been a great financial as well as social
burden on the society, especially in the Indian subcontinent. Oral cancers
can be easily detected due to ease of access to the lesions in the oral
cavity. Despite this fact, many patients present with advanced cancers
not amenable to surgical treatment. Almost half of the oral neoplasms
are diagnosed at stages III or IV, with 5‐year survival rates ranging from
20% to 50% depending upon tumor sites. Delay at presentation in such
patients is an important prognostic factor since timely surgical
intervention is of paramount importance for a successful therapy. In our
study we aimed to find out the chief causes of delay in seeking specialist
care in advanced oral cancer patients. Out of 127 patients presenting with
advanced cancer at the OPD in our study, the major causes for delayed
presentation in our part of the country were patient ignorance, seeking
alternative non allopathic remedies and also cost crunch to some extent.}
    }