Spindle cell squamous carcinoma of the tongue in a child

Abstract

Background: Spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is an infrequent and aggressive type of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) characterized by the proliferation of epithelial and mesenchymal components. Oral SCC in children is an extremely rare entity and the SpCC variant has been reported in one case in the paediatric patient literature. Methods: In this paper, we report a case of SpCC of the tongue in an 11-year-old boy treated by on-block surgical resection and microvascular tissue reconstruction. Results: After 14 months the patient is free of disease with easily intelligible speech and normal swallowing. Conclusions: Diagnosis and treatment of this rare tumour in this age group is a challenge because of the overlapping of histopathological features and the complex reconstruction required to achieve adequate aesthetic and functional results.

Keywords

• Spindle cell carcinoma
• Head and neck
• Oral
• Paediatric
• Microsurgery