Knowledge, Perceptions, and Treatment Beliefs of Oral Tumors Among Patients Attending Specialized Clinics in Western Libya: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/rw30p407الكلمات المفتاحية:
Oral tumors, Patient knowledge, Perceptions, Treatability, Oral squamous cell carcinoma, Verrucous carcinoma, Libyaالملخص
Background: Oral tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and verrucous carcinoma (VC), represent a significant public health concern due to their high morbidity and mortality rates. Public knowledge and perceptions regarding these tumors play a crucial role in early detection, treatment adherence, and overall prognosis.
Objective: This study aimed to assess patient knowledge, perceptions, and treatment beliefs regarding oral tumors, and to identify factors predicting perceived treatability among patients attending specialized health centers in Libya.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The study population included 50 patients (13 males, 37 females) attending the National Cancer Institute in Sabratha, Al-Afrah Center in Al-Ajilat, and Hamda Al-Qarawi Clinic. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising 10 items, validated by a panel of dental specialists. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics, knowledge, and perceptions, while inferential analyses, including Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression, evaluated associations and predictors of perceived treatability. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The majority of participants were female (60%). Only 16% recognized oral tumors as serious, and 20% believed complete blood count could detect tumors. Misconceptions regarding infectivity were common: 36% considered oral tumors infectious, and 30% believed they could be transmitted orally. Belief in the effectiveness of antibiotics significantly predicted perceived treatability (OR = 3.00; 95% CI: 1.20–7.50; p = 0.02). No significant associations were found between gender and knowledge or perceptions. Weak non-significant relationships were observed between diagnostic methods (CBC, X-ray) and perceived treatability.
Conclusion: The study revealed significant gaps in patient knowledge and misconceptions regarding oral tumors, particularly concerning severity, transmissibility, and treatment. Belief in antibiotic efficacy strongly influenced perceived treatability, underscoring the need for targeted educational interventions. Findings support the implementation of integrated clinical and public health strategies to improve awareness, early detection, and appropriate management of oral tumors in Libya.
التنزيلات
المراجع
Aguirre-Urizar, J. M. (2011). Proliferative multifocal leukoplakia better name that proliferative verrucous leukoplakia. In World Journal of Surgical Oncology (Vol. 9). https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7819-9-122
Boutry, J., Tissot, S., Ujvari, B., Capp, J.-P., Giraudeau, M., Nedelcu, A. M., & Thomas, F. (2022). The evolution and ecology of benign tumors. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer, 1877(1), 188643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188643
Cabay, R. J., Morton, T. H., & Epstein, J. B. (2007). Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia and its progression to oral carcinoma: a review of the literature. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine, 36(5), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0714.2007.00506.x
Cariati, P., Marin Fernandez, A. B., & Fernandez Solis, J. (2018). Leucoplasia verrucosa proliferativa de la lengua. Medicina Clínica, 150(2), 84. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MEDCLI.2017.03.010
Chen, T. Y., Emrich, L. J., & Driscoll, D. L. (1987). The clinical significance of pathological findings in surgically resected margins of the primary tumor in head and neck carcinoma. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 13(6), 833–837. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-3016(87)90095-2
Ernani, V., & Saba, N. F. (2015). Oral Cavity Cancer: Risk Factors, Pathology, and Management. Oncology, 89(4), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1159/000398801
Li, Y., Liu, F., Cai, Q., Deng, L., Ouyang, Q., Zhang, X. H.-F., & Zheng, J. (2025). Invasion and metastasis in cancer: molecular insights and therapeutic targets. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 10(1), 57. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02148-4
Loud, J. T., & Murphy, J. (2017). Cancer Screening and Early Detection in the 21st Century. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 33(2), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2017.02.002
Lu, Y., & Xin, J. (2024). 口腔疾病防治 2024 年 2 月 第 32 卷 第 2 期 Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases. 32(2). https://doi.org/10.12016/j.issn.2096•1456.2024.02.007
MIRANDA, R. da S., SANTOS, W. T., HELLMEISTER, L. R., SANTOS, F. P., SPERANDIO, M., MONTALLI, V., & MORAES, P. de C. (2024). VERRUCOUS CARCINOMA WITHIN AN AREA OF ORAL LEUKOPLAKIA. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, 137(6), e170. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.OOOO.2023.12.110
Mohideen, K., Ghosh, S., Krithika, C., Ali-Hassan, M., Chole, R., & Dhungel, S. (2025). Malignant transformation of proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia—systematic review & meta-analysis. In BMC Oral Health (Vol. 25, Number 1). BioMed Central Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05565-7
Nishi, H., Shinozaki, T., Tomioka, T., Maruo, T., & Hayashi, R. (2018). Squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone: Treatment outcomes. Auris Nasus Larynx, 45(2), 337–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ANL.2017.05.011
Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., Fuchs, H. E., & Jemal, A. (2022). Cancer statistics, 2022. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 72(1), 7–33. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21708
Staines, K., & Rogers, H. (2017). Oral leukoplakia and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: a review for dental practitioners. British Dental Journal, 223(9), 655–661. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.881
Thompson, L. D. R., Fitzpatrick, S. G., Müller, S., Eisenberg, E., Upadhyaya, J. D., Lingen, M. W., Vigneswaran, N., Woo, S.-B., Bhattacharyya, I., Bilodeau, E. A., Carlos, R., Islam, M. N., Leon, M. E., Lewis, J. S., Magliocca, K. R., Mani, H., Mehrad, M., Purgina, B., Richardson, M., … Cohen, D. M. (2021). Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia: An Expert Consensus Guideline for Standardized Assessment and Reporting. Head and Neck Pathology, 15(2), 572–587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-020-01262-9
van der Waal, I., & Reichart, P. A. (2008). Oral proliferative verrucous leukoplakia revisited. Oral Oncology, 44(8), 719–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ORALONCOLOGY.2007.09.010
Vos, T., Allen, C., Arora, M., Barber, R. M., Bhutta, Z. A., Brown, A., Carter, A., Casey, D. C., Charlson, F. J., Chen, A. Z., Coggeshall, M., Cornaby, L., Dandona, L., Dicker, D. J., Dilegge, T., Erskine, H. E., Ferrari, A. J., Fitzmaurice, C., Fleming, T., … Murray, C. J. L. (2016). Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet, 388(10053), 1545–1602. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31678-6
Warnakulasuriya, S., Kujan, O., Aguirre‐Urizar, J. M., Bagan, J. V., González‐Moles, M. Á., Kerr, A. R., Lodi, G., Mello, F. W., Monteiro, L., Ogden, G. R., Sloan, P., & Johnson, N. W. (2021). Oral potentially malignant disorders: A consensus report from an international seminar on nomenclature and classification, convened by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer. Oral Diseases, 27(8), 1862–1880. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.13704
Zanoni, D. K., Montero, P. H., Migliacci, J. C., Shah, J. P., Wong, R. J., Ganly, I., & Patel, S. G. (2019). Survival outcomes after treatment of cancer of the oral cavity (1985–2015). Oral Oncology, 90, 115–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ORALONCOLOGY.2019.02.001
Zelefsky, M. J., Harrison, L. B., Fass, D. E., Armstrong, J. G., Shah, J. P., & Strong, E. W. (1993). Postoperative radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx: Impact of therapy on patients with positive surgical margins. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 25(1), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-3016(93)90139-M
التنزيلات
منشور
إصدار
القسم
الرخصة
الحقوق الفكرية (c) 2026 مجلة العلوم الشاملة
هذا العمل مرخص بموجب Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
