OVERVIEW OF CANCER

Cancer is irregular cell growth that arises from a single cell. Cancer is the growth of the network autonomously and do not follow the rules and regulation of cells that grow normally. Tumor is a general term that indicates a mass of abnormal tissue growth.

Carcinoma is a malignant tumor derived from epithelium tissue with cell structure group, is able to infiltrate through the lymphatic flow and spread throughout the body. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in the oral cavity are usually clinically visible as plaque keratosis, ulceration, induration edge lesions, redness, and can occur on all surfaces of the oral cavity.

Carcinoma of the oral cavity is one type of cancer that is becoming one of the 10 causes of death worldwide. In the United States, of approximately one million new cancers diagnosed each year, found approximately 3% carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx. Cancers of the head and neck (oral cavity, tongue, nasopharynx, pharynx, larynx, sinuses, salivary glands) showed more than 5% incidence of cancer in the human body. In women, found as many as 2% of cases of carcinoma of the oral cavity of all types of cancer. In men as much as 2% carcinoma of the oral cavity is the leading cause of cancer deaths, while in the women's 1%. These statistics are the same all over North America but vary around the world. In men in France, the incidence of oral cancer in men increased to 17.9 cases per 100,000 population, and higher numbers reported in India and other Asian countries. Most oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Other malignant diseases which can occur in the head and neck include tumor salivary glands, thyroid gland, lymph nodes, bone, and soft tissue (Wood, 1997)