Assessment of Knowledge, Awareness and Attitude towards Oral Precancer and Cancer among Narikuravar Population in Pondicherry State

Objective Literature revealed that oral health status and awareness about oral hygiene measures of Narikuravar tribes were very poor. There was also an increased prevalence of tobacco usage among this population. Considering this, incidence and prevalence of oral precancerous and cancerous lesions are expected to be high in this population. Surprisingly, the literature search revealed a lack of data on the awareness, knowledge, and prevalence of oral cancer and precancer in this group. The primary objective of this survey is to assess knowledge, awareness and attitude toward oral precancer and cancer among the Narikuravar tribal population in Pondicherry state. Materials and Methods This questionnaire survey is a part of the Model for Oral Cancer Eradication project conducted among the Narikuravar population in Pondicherry, which is funded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). A total of 153 participants were recruited for the survey. A prevalidated questionnaire was used for the survey. Results The results indicated that 47% of the participants were aware of what is oral precancer and cancer. As much as 62% knew that chewing tobacco causes oral cancer and 44% thought that the growth of tissue in the mouth could be a sign of oral cancer. Almost 100% did not think that the presence of a red lesion, white lesion, or limitation of mouth opening could be signs of cancer or precancer. Only 16% thought that oral cancer is preventable. Conclusion Awareness about oral cancer and precancer is inadequate among the Narikuravar population of Pondicherry. Majority of the population is not aware of the risks, signs, or treatment options of oral precancer and cancer. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) identified the people’s knowledge gaps, and improving awareness is one of the strategies of the program.

Systemic Investigation Identifying Salivary miR-196b as a Promising Biomarker for Early Detection of Head-Neck Cancer and Oral Precancer Lesions

Background: Liquid biopsy is a rapidly growing field, for it may provide a minimally invasive way to acquire pathological data for personalized medicine. This study developed a systemic strategy to discover an effective salivary biomarker for early detection of patients with head-neck squamous carcinoma (HNSC) and oral precancer lesion (OPC). Methods: A total of 10 miRNAs were examined in parallel with multiple independent cohorts. These included a training set of salivary samples from HNSC patients, the TCGA-HNSC and GSE31277 cohorts to differentiate miRNAs between tumor and normal tissues, and groups of salivary samples from healthy individuals, patients with HNSC and OPC. Results: The combined results from the salivary training set and the TCGA-HNSC cohort showed that four miRNAs (miR-148b, miR-155, miR-196b, and miR-31) consistently increased in HNSC patients. Further integration with the GSE31277 cohort, two miRNAs (miR-31 and miR-196b) maintained at high significances. Further assessment showed that salivary miR-196b was a prominent diagnostic biomarker, as it remarkably discriminated between healthy individuals and patients with HNSC (p < 0.0001, AUC = 0.767, OR = 5.64) or OPC (p < 0.0001, AUC = 0.979, OR = 459). Conclusion: Salivary miR-196b could be an excellent biomarker for diagnosing OPC and early detection of HNSC. This molecule may be used for early screening high-risk groups of HNSC.

Evaluation of Serum Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) and Circulating Immune Complexes in Oral Precancer and Cancer Patients

Objectives The aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM) and circulating immune complexes (CIC) as tumor marker in oral cancer and precancer patients. Materials and Methods The present study was performed on 45 individuals subdivided into three groups, that is, oral precancer, oral cancer and healthy individuals, and levels of immunoglobulins, and CIC was estimated by turbidometry and ELISA method. Results In the present study, the mean serum IgA levels in oral precancer were 161.00 ( ± 118.02) mg/dL, oral cancers were 270.67 ( ± 171.44) mg/dL, and controls were 133.73 ( ± 101.31) mg/dL. Mean serum levels of IgG in oral precancer were 1,430.87 ( ± 316) mg/dL, oral cancers were 1,234.27 ( ± 365.42) mg/dL, and controls were 593.87 ( ± 323.06) mg/dL. Conclusion We found that the levels of serum IgG and IgA were elevated consistently in precancer and cancer group, and Serum IgM levels were increased only in precancer. Also, significant increase in serum CIC levels were seen in oral precancer and cancer group on comparison with control.