Neglected area of oral cancer: A word about the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) “Handbook of Oral Cancer Prevention”

Keywords: oral cancer, leukoplakia, oral potentially malignant disorders The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) "Handbook of Oral Cancer Prevention", vol. 19, provides a thorough and comprehensive evidence-based evaluation of primary and secondary prevention interventions for oral cancer.In order to provide a due introduction to "Handbook of Oral Cancer Prevention", vol.19, released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in November 2023, it is relevant to start with a short history of the IARC handbooks programme.1 This series was launched in 1995 by Dr. Paul Kleihues, the former director of IARC.The IARC handbooks evaluate the evidence on the cancer-preventive potential of various agents and interventions for primary and secondary prevention.Previous volumes have covered the issues of Breast Cancer Screening (Handbook 15), Absence of Excess Body Fatness (Handbook 16), Colorectal Cancer Screening (Handbook 17), and Cervical Cancer Screening (Handbook 18).Here we report on the IARC first evaluation regarding Oral Cancer Prevention, presented in Handbook 19 (Fig. 1).A working group comprising 25 independent international experts from 12 countries (South Africa, United States of America, Taiwan (China), United Kingdom, India, Switzerland, Japan, Brazil, Panama, France, Colombia, and Malaysia) met remotely between September and December 2021.For the first time, this handbook synthesizes all the available evidence related to the primary and secondary prevention of oral cancer.The volume begins with two preambles, one for primary and one for secondary prevention.These preambles establish the methodological procedures for developing the handbook, i.e., criteria for including studies, definitions, the selection process for interventions, and outcomes.The methods used to select cancer prevention studies are described, along with the criteria used to assess the strength of evidence in each evidence stream contributing to the overall evaluation.From the perspective of medical education, these two preambles lay the foundation for the epidemiological evaluation of the available scientific evidence.The first chapter details the anatomy of the oral cavity and the oropharynx, followed by an overview of oral cancer, oropharyngeal cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs).Further discussion focuses on the natural history, the stage at diagnosis, the survival rates, and the available treatment and management options for oral cancer and OPMDs. Cite as