Task Force updates oral cancer screening recommendations

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening for oral cancer by primary care physicians in asymptomatic adults, according to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Oral cancer and pharyngeal cancer include cancer of the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx. Up to 75 percent of oral cancers are attributable to tobacco and alcohol use, but sexually transmitted oral HPV infection has recently been recognized as an increasingly important risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer.