A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EVALUATION OF SERUM LDH IN MANAGEMENT OF HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA.

A neoplasm or carcinoma is an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of normal tissues and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of stimuli which evoked the change1. Persistence of cancerous cells, even after the stimuli is removed is due to the heritable genetic change that is passed to tumor cell progeny. The genetic change leads to excess unregulated proliferation, which is also autonomous. All tumor cells have two compartments 1. Proliferating neoplastic cells which is the parenchyma 2. Supportive stroma which is connective tissue and blood vessels. Head and neck malignancy poses a significant health problem in INDIA. In INDIA population registries estimates annual incidence of 25000 new cases of carcinoma larynx alone . Head and neck malignancies have numerous hidden areas called? coffin corners? where tumor continues to grow. Eventhough premalignant lesions can be clearly identified there is a significant rate of late presentation in our country. D] Early detection and treatment is the only chance for better outcome as these tumors are aggressive compared to tumors elsewhere. The importance of early detection will help both in cure and lessening the morbidity, thereby enabling the patients to lead a qualitatively better life. The need for an easy and simple test that is suggestive of cancer quite early even before the patients become symptomatic and which can be done during routine visits to the health care facility at an affordable cost.