Fatores associados ao atraso no diagnóstico do câncer de boca: revisão integrativa de literatura

Abstract

Oral cancer is a significant health issue and represents approximately 3% of all malignancies, with a high incidence and mortality rate. Despite the advances related to the diagnosis and treatment, most patients are still diagnosed at an advanced stage. The aim of this paper is to identify the main causes related to the delay in the diagnosis of oral cancer. The articles used in this research were searched in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Scielo and Lilacs databases, considering the following DeCS - Health Sciences Descriptors: delayed oral cancer; delayed diagnosis of oral cancer; oral cancer young patients and hpv oral cancer patients. As a criteria of inclusion full-text articles were selected. Publications unrelated to the theme delimitation and aim of the research were excluded. As a result, 513 articles were found: 118 were entirely read and 96 were eligible for the research, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Late diagnosis of oral cancer is common and mainly occurs due to patient delay. Early detection is the most effective way to improve the prognosis of patients with oral cancer. Strategies with the goal of reducing late diagnosis should be considered.