Assessment of screening programs as a strategy for early detection of oral cancer: a systematic review

Marcela Ferreira Abrahão Ribeiro; Maria Clara Moreira Oliveira; Alice Carvalho Leite; Fábio Fernandes Borém Bruzinga; Polianne Alves Mendes; Soraya de Mattos Camargo Grossmann; Vânia Eloisa de Araújo; Giovanna Ribeiro Souto

doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.105936

Assessment of screening programs as a strategy for early detection of oral cancer: a systematic review

Oral Oncol. 2022 Jul:130:105936. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.105936. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Authors

Marcela Ferreira Abrahão Ribeiro¹, Maria Clara Moreira Oliveira¹, Alice Carvalho Leite¹, Fábio Fernandes Borém Bruzinga¹, Polianne Alves Mendes¹, Soraya de Mattos Camargo Grossmann¹, Vânia Eloisa de Araújo¹, Giovanna Ribeiro Souto²

Affiliations

¹ Dentistry of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Dentistry of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: grsouto@hotmail.com.

PMID: 35662028
DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.105936

Abstract

The present study is a systematic review of the evaluation of screening programs as a strategy for early detection of oral cancer. The aim of this study was to assess whether screening through visual inspection is able to identify injuries in early stages, to increase survival, and to decrease the incidence and mortality of oral cancer. Studies using visual inspection to screen for oral cancer and potentially malignant lesions in apparently healthy individuals over 18 years without previous diagnosis of the disease were included. The MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane databases Library, EMBASE, and LILACS, including manual search and gray literature, were searched through January 2021 with no language or date restrictions. The risk of bias and the methodological quality were evaluated according to the appropriate tool for each study design. The analysis of the results was narrative. Seventeen studies were reviewed that included cohort, accuracy, and randomized clinical trial studies. The tracking type performed was opportunistic and organized in a variety of environments. The age of participants ranged between 18 and 60 years old and, in some programs, only people with risk habits for oral cancer were included. The screeners were healthcare professionals, physicians, and dentists. Two studies reported data on the incidence rate of severe cases and mortality and showed a reduction when patients were at risk for the disease and participated in the program more than once. A limitation of this review was the great variability observed in the estimates of the screening effectiveness among the studies, which made comparisons difficult. If a screening program is continuous and able to ensure the inclusion of high-risk individuals, it can contribute to improvement in survival rates with a change of stage and can have a significant impact on incidence and mortality due to the disease. Registration in the Open Science Framebook (OSF) with the osf.io/zg8nr link.

Keywords: Early detection; Oral cancer; Screening Programs; Systematic Review; Visual inspection.

Publication types

Review
Systematic Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Early Detection of Cancer*
Health Status
Humans
Mass Screening / methods
Middle Aged
Mouth Neoplasms*
Physical Examination / methods
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Young Adult