Racial disparity and prognosis in patients with mouth and oropharynx cancer in Brazil

Oral and oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Populations in situations of social vulnerability tend to have higher incidences of cancer, a higher proportion of late diagnosis, greater difficulties in accessing health services, and, consequently, worse prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between race/skin color and OPC prognosis in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study using OPC data from the National Cancer Institute between the years 2000 and 2019. The selected variables were: gender, race/skin color, age, education, smoking and alcohol consumption, stage of the disease and disease status at the end of the 1st treatment. 154,214 cases were recorded. Black men, in the 6th decade of life, were the most affected population. Blacks had a lower level of education when compared to non-blacks (p<0.001). Blacks were more exposed to smoking and alcohol consumption (p<0.001). At the time of diagnosis, the black population was at the most advanced stage when compared to non-blacks (p<0.001). At the end of the 1st treatment, more black patients had disease in progression, as well as more black patients died (p<0.001). Blacks had a worse prognosis for OPC in Brazil. Despite the limitations, these results are important to elucidate the scenario of health disparities in relation to the race/skin color of the Brazilian population

High prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders and risk factors in a semi-urban brazilian city:a population-based cross-sectional study

Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMDs) are defined as lesions with a greater likelihood of progressing to cancer. Population-based studies that evaluate the prevalence of OPMDs are scarce in Brazil. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of OPMDs and associated risk factors in a semi-urban Brazilian population. This is a cross-sectional study, whose universe included individuals aged 40 years or older residing in a medium-sized city of northeastern Brazil. Data collection was divided into two steps: interview and oral examination. The outcome variable was the presence of OPMDs. The predictor variables were sociodemographic characteristics and risk habits. The bivariate analysis was performed through chi-square test. The crude prevalence ratios (PR) and its respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Poisson regression analysis with robust variance was used to calculate adjusted PRs and 95% CI. Three hundred fourteen individuals were included in the study. When asked about risk habits, 58.9% reported being current smokers or ex-smokers and 62.2% reported being current drinkers or ex-drinkers. The prevalence of OPMDs was 7.6% and was significantly higher among individuals with black skin color (p < 0.001), alcohol users (p = 0.017), and individuals with both tobacco and alcohol habits (p = 0.012). Therefore, the population in the present study had a high frequency of risk habits associated with PMDs of the oral cavity