Mouth self-examination as a screening tool for oral cancer in a high-risk group of patients with Fanconi anemia

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology Vol. 118; no. 4; pp. 440 - 446
• Main Authors: Furquim, Camila Pinheiro, DDS, Pivovar, Allana, DDS, Cavalcanti, Laura Grein, DDS, MSc, Araújo, Renata Fuentes, DDS, MSc, Sales Bonfim, Carmem Maria, MD, MSc, Torres-Pereira, Cassius Carvalho, DDS, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-10-2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biopsy; Dentistry; Early Diagnosis; Fanconi Anemia - complications; Female; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Male; Mouth Neoplasms - diagnosis; Self-Examination; Sensitivity and Specificity; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 2212-4403; 2212-4411
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2014.06.012

Objective Oral cancer usually occurs at accessible sites, enabling early detection by visual inspection. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a recessive disorder associated with a high risk of developing head and neck solid tumors. The aim of this study was to assess the ability to perform mouth self-examination (MSE) in these patients. Study Design A total of 44 patients with FA, aged ≥18 years, were given a self-reported questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data and information about health-related behaviors and oral cancer awareness. They were asked to perform MSE, which was evaluated using criteria for mucosal visualization and retracting ability. Subsequently, an oral medicine specialist clinically examined all participants, and these findings were considered to be the gold standard. Results The sensitivity and specificity values of MSE were 43% and 44%, respectively. The MSE accuracy was 43%. Most patients (73%) reported that MSE was easy or very easy, although 75% showed insufficient performance. Conclusions The accuracy of MSE alone is not sufficient to indicate whether MSE should be recommended as a strategy to prevent oral cancer in patients with FA. Nevertheless, the present results indicate that this inexpensive technique could be used as a tool for early detection of cancer in these patients.