Annually, approximately 5,400 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed, with about 2,300 deaths attributed to the disease. This cancer is closely related to specific cultural behaviors, such as the use of betel quid, tobacco. Due to the betel quid chewing,Taiwan’s oral cancer incidence ranks among the highest globally, and oral cancer is the most common cancer among young and middle-aged men (25-44 years old) in the country. The average age of death from oral cancer is only 54 years, which is more than 10 years earlier than other cancers and it has become the fourth leading cause of death among Taiwanese men as of 2023. Oral cancer is also a common cause of cancer-related deaths in many countries with betel quid chewing, underscoring the importance of attention to this issue.

Over the past decade, hospitals, the National Health Promotion Administration, and various civic organizations in Taiwan have actively collaborated to implement betel nut prevention strategies. These efforts include providing cessation services, offering oral cancer screening, creating betel nut-free environments, and enhancing public awareness through health education campaigns, all of which have shown significant results. According to research, the prevalence of betel nut chewing among Taiwanese men has decreased from 17.2% in 2007 to below 7% by 2018.

This international symposium marks the first academic conference focused on the relationship between betel nut and oral cancer. Experts in head and neck cancer are invited to discuss this critical issue. Betel nut, a palm family plant, predominantly grows in tropical and subtropical regions where it thrives in hot and humid environments. This explains its prevalence in Taiwan and Southeast Asia, where chewing betel nut is a common practice. Betel nut not only serves as an economic crop in these regions but also poses a serious public health threat by contributing to oral cancer incidence. The symposium aims to address the current status of oral cancer prevention and the association between betel nut and oral cancer, while also inviting scholars from India, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka to share their experiences. Through this exchange of knowledge, the conference seeks to collectively advance the efforts to combat oral cancer across world.