Oral Cancer Care Shifts Towards Organ Preservation, Personalised Treatment, Say Experts At Mumbai Conference
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai: Oral cancer treatment in India is undergoing a major transformation, with doctors increasingly focusing on preserving organs and improving quality of life rather than relying solely on extensive surgeries, experts said at the third Foundation Day of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Head & Neck Cancer Institute of India (HNCII).
New Therapies Improve Quality of Life
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Speaking at the conference, Dr. Sultan A. Pradhan, Chairman of HNCII and Senior Oncologist, said advances in immunotherapy, precision diagnostics and reconstructive surgery are enabling doctors to offer more personalised treatment while maintaining better speech, swallowing and facial appearance.
"Earlier, surgery was considered the only option for many oral cancers. Today, in selected patients, combinations of immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation can shrink tumours and help preserve organs such as the cheek, lip or larynx, reducing the need for disfiguring operations," he said.
PD-L1 Testing Enables Personalised Treatment
Dr. Pradhan said Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) testing, which helps identify patients likely to respond to immunotherapy, is becoming an important tool in deciding treatment. Such personalised approaches could also reduce unnecessary procedures in carefully selected patients.
He also highlighted the submental flap, a reconstructive technique that uses tissue from beneath the chin to rebuild areas removed during oral cancer surgery. Compared with complex microvascular free flaps, the procedure takes nearly 50% less operating time and has been successfully used in more than 3,000 patients, making it particularly suitable for India's high patient load.
Delayed Diagnosis Remains a Major Challenge
Despite these advances, doctors cautioned that treatment outcomes continue to be affected by delayed diagnosis. Patients often reach hospitals 7-8 months after symptoms first appear due to fear, denial, financial constraints or reliance on unproven alternative therapies.
Maharashtra Govt To Inaugurate Record Number Of Public Health Facilities On Independence Day 2026Experts cautioned that India's head and neck cancer burden is expected to rise sharply in the coming decades. Annual cases are projected to reach 5.57 lakh, with an estimated 2.63 lakh deaths by 2050, making early diagnosis, timely treatment and wider access to advanced therapies critical to improving survival and reducing disability among patients.
According to experts, oral cancers detected at an early stage have a cure rate of over 80%, while advanced cancers usually require a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, increasing both treatment costs and the risk of permanent functional loss.
The conference, themed "Controversies Shaping Modern Oral Cancer Care," brought together oncologists, surgeons and researchers from across the country to discuss emerging treatment strategies and the need to combine technological advances with stronger public awareness for earlier diagnosis.
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