Oral Field Cancerization: A Review with Case Reports

The concept of field cancerization was proposed by Slaughter et al. in 1953. Field cancerization of the mucosa of aerodigestive tract frequently develops on account of tobacco and alcohol usage. The oral cavity is one of the predominant and prevalent sites of development of potential malignancies, therefore, it comes into direct contact with many carcinogens. All of the epithelium beyond the boundaries of tumour can undergo histological changes and may have more than one independent area of malignancy. The mucosa undergoes a change, perhaps due to carcinogen exposure and is therefore more susceptible to the development of many foci of malignant transformation. This explains the high incidence of recurrence of oral cancer, the rate being 32.7%, despite excision of tumour or other therapies. So, diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer should not only be focused on the lesion, but also on the field from which it developed. In this article, we emphasize on the concept of field cancerization, highlight the carcinogenic influence of tobacco and alcohol in the development of multiple primary tumours in the oral cavity by presenting clinical cases. Keywords: Field cancerization; Squamous cell carcinoma; Metastasis; Second primary tumours; Synchronous/ Metachronous tumours3.