Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) develops on the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity. It accounts for approximately 90% of oral malignancies and impairs appearance, pronunciation, swallowing, and flavor perception. In 2020, 377,713 OSCC cases were reported globally. According to the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO), the incidence of OSCC will rise by approximately 40% by 2040, accompanied by a growth in mortality. Persistent exposure to various risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol, betel quid (BQ), and human papillomavirus (HPV), will lead to the development of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), which are oral mucosal lesions with an increased risk of developing into OSCC. Complex and multifactorial, the oncogenesis process involves genetic alteration, epigenetic modification, and a dysregulated tumor microenvironment. Although various therapeutic interventions, such as chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and nanomedicine, have been proposed to prevent or treat OSCC and OPMDs, understanding the mechanism of malignancies will facilitate the identification of therapeutic and prognostic factors, thereby improving the efficacy of treatment for OSCC patients. This review summarizes the mechanisms involved in OSCC. Moreover, the current therapeutic interventions and prognostic methods for OSCC and OPMDs are discussed to facilitate comprehension and provide several prospective outlooks for the fields.

口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）发生在口腔粘膜上皮上。它约占口腔恶性肿瘤的 90%，并损害外观、发音、吞咽和味觉。2020 年，全球报告了 377,713 例 OSCC 病例。据全球癌症观察站 (GCO) 预测，到 2040 年，OSCC 的发病率将增加约 40%，死亡率也会随之上升。持续接触各种危险因素，包括烟草、酒精、槟榔（BQ）和人乳头瘤病毒（HPV），将导致口腔潜在恶性疾病（OPMD）的发展，这是一种口腔粘膜病变，发生风险增加进入 OSCC。肿瘤发生过程复杂且多因素，涉及遗传改变、表观遗传修饰和失调的肿瘤微环境。尽管已经提出了各种治疗干预措施，如化疗、放疗、免疫治疗和纳米医学来预防或治疗 OSCC 和 OPMD，但了解恶性肿瘤的机制将有助于识别治疗和预后因素，从而提高 OSCC 的治疗效果患者。本综述总结了 OSCC 涉及的机制。此外，还讨论了当前 OSCC 和 OPMD 的治疗干预措施和预后方法，以促进理解并提供该领域的一些前瞻性展望。