Oral cancer management in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic—Indian scenario

The global burden of oral cancer rests on India's shoulders. Distant metastasis and extensive loco-regional spread result in a dismal 5-year prognosis. Tobacco chewing is the leading etiological factor. A lack of education among the masses combined with an inundated cancer care system account for high morbidity and mortality rates. The SARS-CoV-2 shows tropism for the oral mucosa. This viral tropism is thought to get augmented in oral cancer because of the upregulation of oral mucosal receptors and enzymes which enhance viral attachment and entry. The COVID-19 disease has caused a heavy blow to the cancer care sector in India because of paucity of COVID-19 centred health care regulations. This review highlights the need for the prompt creation of a national health policy which would prioritize and allow for the resumption of oral onco-surgical in light of COVID-19 pandemic.