Early detection of premalignant lesions and oral cancer.

Cancers of the oral cavity account for approximately 3% of malignancies diagnosed annually in the United States. As with other upper aerodigestive tract cancers, 5-year survival rates for oral cavity cancers decrease with delayed diagnosis. Cancers of the oral cavity are thought to progress from premalignant/precancerous lesions, beginning as hyperplastic tissue and developing into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Despite the general accessibility of the oral cavity during physical examination, many malignancies are not diagnosed until late stages of disease. To prevent malignant transformation of these oral precursor lesions, multiple screening and detection techniques have been developed to address this problem.