Toombak: A risk factor for oral leukoplakia and cancer

29 September 2013. El Fasher: A trader shows a tray with tombac (chewing tobacco) at the market in El Fasher, North Darfur. Tombac is one of North Darfur’s major cash crops. The traditional markets for tombac include South Sudan, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Farmers assure four million people in Darfur are dependent on the cultivation and sale of tobacco. They claim that tobacco had been produced in the region since 1850.  Originally, the production of tombac started in Tombouctou (Mali) and later it was imported to Egypt and Darfur.  Photo by Albert González Farran, UNAMID

This review of the association between toombak use and oral leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma included 8 observational studies suggesting a strong association.

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