New Insights into Oral Cancer: From Early Detection to Advanced Therapeutics

Dear Colleagues,

Oral cancer remains a significant global health challenge: late diagnosis and limited therapeutic options, especially in advanced stages, cause high morbidity and mortality. Approximately 50% of individuals die within five years after diagnosis, while the remaining patients experience aesthetic and functional impairments that profoundly affect their quality of life.

This Special Issue aims to collect and publish high-quality contributions on the latest advances in the diagnosis, etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of oral malignancies, extending beyond squamous cell carcinoma. We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, and case series or case reports that explore novel diagnostic tools such as molecular and imaging biomarkers, elucidate risk factors and pathogenic mechanisms, and evaluate innovative therapeutic strategies including targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and novel surgical—both resective and reconstructive— approches. Furthermore, the Issue includes contributions addressing novel, non-invasive tools for follow-up and prognostic evaluation, such as salivary and molecular biomarkers, and advanced imaging techniques, which support long-term surveillance, early detection of recurrence, and personalized patient management.

By assembling current evidence and emerging perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to improve early detection, personalize treatment approaches, and ultimately enhance outcomes and quality of life for patients with oral cancer. We particularly encourage submissions from leading experts and active researchers in the field, with the aim of providing an updated overview of current knowledge and stimulating further research on this important topic.

Dr. Gioele Gioco
Dr. Carlo Lajolo
Dr. Cosimo Rupe
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Oral is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.