Abstract

Oral cancer is one of the ten most common cancers worldwide and the five years survival rate is still disappointingly low. The incidence of oral cancer varies from different regions of the world with highest rates reported in the South-east Asia especially in India where oral cancer accounts for 15 - 40% of cancers and is the most common cancer in men. Although, tobacco and alcohol use are the most important risk factors in the development of oral cancer, some reports from Nigeria suggests otherwise. Tobacco and chronic alcohol use have been found to be low in cancer patients in various studies from Nigeria, whereas most of these patients are from the lower income, poorly educated class in the society. More so, oral cancer patients from a study in Nigeria were found to consume less fruits than controls and had statistically significant lower serum antioxidant vitamins levels when compared with a non-cancer group. We suggest that poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and possibly a yet to be determined chronic infection may be more important risk factors than the well-established risk factors (tobacco and alcohol use) in the development of oral cancer in Nigerian cases.

Key words: Oral cancer, tobacco, alcohol, risk factors.