Medical experts from across the country have launched an initiative to formulate Pakistan’s first national consensus guidelines for the management of oral cavity cancer, a disease that accounts for a significant share of the country’s cancer burden.
Experts move to develop Pakistan’s first oral cancer treatment guidelines
ISLAMABAD, Jun 13 (APP): Medical experts from across the country have launched an initiative to formulate Pakistan’s first national consensus guidelines for the management of oral cavity cancer, a disease that accounts for a significant share of the country’s cancer burden.
The initiative was discussed at a meeting hosted by NORI Hospital Chairperson Dr Humaira in Islamabad, bringing together head and neck surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine specialists from major cancer treatment centres, including KIRAN Karachi, INMOL Lahore, IRNUM Peshawar, CINAR Quetta and NORI Islamabad.
Participants noted that Pakistan has one of the highest rates of oral cavity cancer globally. The disease constitutes around 10.6 per cent of all cancers in the country, making it the most common malignancy among men and the second most common cancer overall.
Experts linked the high incidence of the disease to the widespread use of smokeless tobacco, betel quid (paan), areca nut (supari), gutka, naswar and cigarette smoking.
Prof Mubashir Ikram said treatment practices currently vary among institutions because there are no unified national protocols. He added that many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease, contributing to poorer outcomes and higher treatment costs.
Dr Ahmad Nawaz told the meeting that experts had agreed to adapt internationally recognised guidelines rather than develop entirely new recommendations. The process will use the ADAPTE methodology to tailor existing evidence-based guidelines to local healthcare realities and treatment responses.
The guidelines will draw on recommendations issued by the U.S.-based National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The participants approved a phased roadmap beginning with the formation of expert panels for specific oral cavity subsites, including the tongue, buccal mucosa and floor of the mouth. The process will subsequently move through evidence review, drafting, peer review and final endorsement before publication.
Pakistan Head and Neck Society Chairman Dr Altaf Hussain described the initiative as an urgent and historic step towards standardising cancer care, improving patient survival and promoting collaborative research.
Speaking to the media, Associate Professor of ENT at PIMS and focal person for the initiative Dr Malik Jawad Faisal, said the effort marked a major step towards establishing a unified national framework for oral cavity cancer management.
He said experts from leading institutions had committed to developing evidence-based recommendations suited to Pakistan’s healthcare environment to help reduce variations in treatment and improve the quality of patient care.
The meeting concluded with a commitment from all participating institutions to complete and implement the country’s first comprehensive national guidelines for oral cavity tumours.
