The Epidemiological Pattern of Premalignant and Malignant Epithelial Lesions in Northeast of Iran: A 43-Year Evaluation

[Background]Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in human society. Epidemiological information has an important role in planning for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in communities.[Objectives]The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological aspects of the premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions during a 43-year period in faculty of dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran.[Methods]In this retrospective-descriptive study, all archived records in oral pathology department of dental school, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in northeast of Iran, during the period of 1971 - 2013 were investigated. A total of 11126 pathology reports were evaluated. Age, gender, primary site and histologic type of the lesions were extracted from patient’s records. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (V. 21), Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and Mann-Whitney tests.[Results]Among 11126 patients, 1066 (9.55%) cases had premalignant and malignant lesions, with mean age of 53.18 ± 16.45, ranging from 11 to 97 years. Squamous cell carcinoma with 86.2% was the most common malignant tumor and lichen planus with 74.6% was the most common premalignant lesion. 523 (49.5%) of the patients were men and 532 (50.5%) were women. Buccal mucosa was the most frequently involved area in malignant tumors (114 cases) and premalignant lesions (274 cases).[Conclusions]The epidemiological pattern of premalignant and malignant lesions in Iran is nearly similar to those reported from other studies with differences in some cases. Also the findings of this study show that the routine examination of oral mucosa is important and emphasize the development of screening policies and primary prevention programs for malignant and premalignant oral lesions.