Synchronous multiple oral squamous cell carcinomas: Report of a case

Abstract

Long-term survival of head and neck cancer patients has not significantly improved in the last 30-year, in spite of advances in therapy. An important reason for this lack of progress is the development of second primary tumors (SPTs) in the upper aerodigestive tract. To account for the development of multiple (multicentric) primary tumors in the oral cavity, the concept of field cancerization by Slaughter can be interpreted in various ways to explain this phenomenon of SPTs. The frequency of developing synchronous and metachronous carcinomas in the head and neck mucosal sites ranges from 8% to 21%. These SPTs are usually more aggressive, more treatment resistant, and metastasizes early, requiring a more aggressive treatment strategy and hence the early detection is important. Here, we report a case of synchronous oral squamous cell carcinomas in a female patient, which was poorly differentiated histologically and was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis.

Keywords

• multiple
• oral
• squamous cell carcinoma
• synchronous