Systemic and Local Effects Among Patients With Betel Quid-Related Oral Cancer

• Published in: Technology in cancer research & treatment Vol. 21; p. 15330338221146870
• Main Authors: Chuang, Hui-Ching, Tsai, Ming-Hsien, Lin, Yu-Tsai, Chou, Ming-Huei, Yang, Kun-Lin, Chien, Chih-Yen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2022; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Abrasion; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcohol use; Areca - adverse effects; Carcinogens; Cardiovascular diseases; Chewing; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - pathology; Drinking behavior; Fibrosis; Gastrointestinal tract; Head & neck cancer; Humans; Literature reviews; Malignancy; Metabolic syndrome; Mouth Mucosa; Mouth Neoplasms - etiology; Mouth Neoplasms - pathology; Mucosa; Oral cancer; Oral cavity; Patients; Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Oral Cancers; Smoking; Squamous cell carcinoma; metabolic syndrome; cardiovascular disease; betel nut; oral submucosal fibrosis; submucosal fibrosis; trismus; arecoline; oral cancer; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; areca nut
• ISSN: 1533-0346; 1533-0338; 1533-0338
• DOI: 10.1177/15330338221146870

The major predisposing factors of developing oral cancer include smoking, alcohol drinking, and betel quid chewing. Betel quid chewing could cause the abrasion and damage of oral mucosa by crude fibers, chemical insults by additive slaked lime, and arecoline from areca nut. These would lead to the local consequence of oral submucosal fibrosis, which is regarded clinically as a precancer lesion and a major cause of trismus. In addition, the components and additives in betel quid contain chemical toxins and carcinogens, which would further affect the oral mucosa and gradually develop a malignancy. Following literature review, aside from having a greater total tumor burden and more local diseases in the oral cavity and digestive tract, patients with betel quid-related oral cancer also have more systemic diseases from metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and obesity than those without this habit. In conclusion, those patients who have the history of smoking, alcohol drinking, and betel quid chewing would present much more unique clinical characteristics than those who only have a history of smoking and alcohol drinking. More attention should therefore be paid to pretreatment evaluation, treatment strategy, and posttreatment follow-up among betel quid chewers.