With the support of IISc and four hospitals, ICMR is preparing to launch the Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD) Atlas Project, which will aid in the early detection of oral cancer.

Over 80% of oral cancers have OPMDs as their precursor. However, it is difficult to identify OPMDs and oral cancers in the early stages. The Atlas Project seeks to make early diagnosis and treatment simpler.

In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute-AIIMS and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Varanasi, two Bengaluru-based institutions—KLE Society's Institute of Dental Sciences and Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Foundation—will recruit patients for the project and gather data.

Dr. Praveen Birur of KLE Society's Institute of Dental Sciences stated that the four hospitals will examine the data of 5,000 patients over five years, gathering data from each patient four times annually. The data collection will encompass various aspects, including clinical data, risk factors, and cytology, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disease.

AI tools will develop predictive models for various aspects using the project's data, including determining the benignness of a person's condition and determining whether they are at low or high risk, among other things. These AI tools are already out there, and the project will consolidate them, according to Dr. Birur.

Experts estimate that India experiences approximately 1.35 lakh new cases of lip and oral cavity cancer each year. Although biopsy is regarded as the gold standard for oral cancer diagnosis, it proves to be invasive and costly.

Dr. Phaneendra Yalavarthy from IISc mentioned that achieving the development of an appropriate screening tool with accuracy comparable to that of biopsy under the project will require a couple of years. He said -

"Developing the right screening tool in India is a challenge because of the large number of oral cancer patients from varied settings. The tool can be deployed in healthcare settings once it reaches the gold standard."