title: Pattern and prevalence of oral carcinoma in a surgical unit at Cancer Institute Maharagama, 1985 to 1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the range and prevalence of oral carcinoma requiring surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical unit I at Cancer Institute, Maharagama.
  
  
  METHODS
  353 oral cancer patients admitted and operated on during a 10 year period from 1985 to 1994
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lateral wall of the oral cavity (cheek and mandible) accounted for 55.6% of oral cancers. The other sites involved were as follows: tongue 33.4% (73.7% of these involved anterior tongue), maxilla 7.4%, floor of the mouth 2.6%, lip 1.1%. The male to female ratio was 3.7:1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lateral wall oral cancers are the commonest requiring surgery and the lip is the most infrequent site. Of the central lesions anterior tongue is the commonest. Compared with previous figures prevalence of maxillary cancer has halved, whereas tongue cancer has increased. More women are now coming to surgery.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute Maharagama, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: de Silva
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jayamaha
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gabriel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013188:Sri Lanka