Abstract
Although oral squamous cancer in the United States accounts for approximately 5 per cent of neoplasms in men and 2 per cent in women,1 the teaching of oral-cancer concepts, and especially its diagnosis, remains unsatisfactory. Even though the oral mucosa is easily accessible for visual examination, and squamous carcinoma is readily discernible in its early asymptomatic stages, long before ulceration, bleeding, induration and lymphadenopathy are present, 60 per cent2 of these intraoral lesions are well advanced (at least Stage III-T2 N1 MO)* at the time of discovery. The greatest concern of therapists is with the treatment of the symptomatic lesion. . . .