Importance of tumor thickness and depth of invasion in nodal involvement and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma: A review of the literature

AbstractBackground.Oral mucosa squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has locoregional evolution, with frequent neck involvement (the most important parameter for prognosis). There are still many doubts concerning the best way to approach N0 neck disease in early‐stage lesions (T1 and T2). Many parameters have been studied to identify N0 patients with a high likelihood of harboring occult node metastases or of having them develop.Methods.A review of the studies analyzing "tumor thickness"/"depth of invasion" in predicting regional metastases and survival was undertaken.Results.The literature suggests that "tumor thickness"/"depth of invasion" is a reliable parameter for predicting regional nodal involvement and survival in OSCC.Conclusions.Authors are in substantial agreement regarding the reliability of tumor thickness. The lack of comparable study groups, measurement techniques, and cut‐off values points to the need for further studies so as to reach a consensus and to develop therapy protocols that include tumor thickness. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 27: XXX–XXX, 200

Clinical and histological features of gingival lesions : a 17-year retrospective analysis in a northern Italian population

Objectives: Only few studies on gingival lesions considered large enough populations and contemporary literature does not provide a valid report regarding the epidemiology of gingival lesions within the Italian population. The histopathological and clinical appearance of 538 gingival lesions from northern Italians are described and discussed here. Study Design: The case records of patients referred for the diagnosis and management of gingival lesions, from October 1993 to October 2009, were reviewed. Data regarding the histological type of lesion were also obtained from the biopsy register for each case, and blindly re-examined. Results: We reported a greater frequency of benign lesions (reactive and/or inflammatory) in non-plaque/non- calculus induced gingival disorders. We confirmed an unambiguous prevalence of oral squamous cell carcinoma above all other malignant neoplasia, and a prevalence of neoplastic malignant lesions in the maxilla, with a slight increase in females and a drift of the incidence peak from the seventh to the eighth decade. There was a prevalence of precancerous gingival lesions in the maxilla, with a higher incidence in females and with a drift from the sixth to the seventh decade. We also reported a prevalence of oral lichen planus and lichenoid lesions as major manifestations of desquamative gingivitis. Conclusions: The high frequency of gingival involvement of such different diseases emphasizes the importance of histological characterization and differential diagnosis for periodontists, but more prospective studies are needed to better describe the true incidence of the non-plaque related gingival diseases

Fibular osteofasciocutaneous flap in computer-assisted mandibular reconstruction: technical aspects in oral malignancies

Lutilizzo della pianificazione virtuale in chirurgia testa e collo è in forte crescita. In letteratura, la validità del metodo dal punto di vista dellacuratezza e lutilità clinica sono stati ampiamente documentati, in modo particolare per il rimodellamento osseo del lembo. Al giorno doggi, laumentato utilizzo della programmazione virtuale in chirurgia oncologica testa-collo e, conseguentemente, la maggiore necessità di ricostruzioni sia ossee che dei tessuti molli, rendono importante realizzare il programma virtuale considerando non solo la ricostruzione ossea, ma anche tutti gli aspetti relativi alla ricostruzione dei tessuti molli con lembi compositi. Descriviamo nel seguente articolo il nostro approccio alla pianificazione virtuale nel caso di lembi compositi. Lo studio riporta sei pazienti consecutivi con malattia maligna programmati mediante ricostruzione mandibolare computer assistita e lembi osteo-fascio-cutanei di perone. In tutti i sei pazienti, la resezione e la ricostruzione sono state progettate concentrandosi sulla posizione dei vasi perforanti cutanei, al fine di programmare la posizione più corretta delle guide di taglio a livello del perone in funzione della posizione dei vasi perforanti stessi. La tecnica descritta ci ha permesso di programmare lembi osteo-fascio-cutanei di perone nella ricostruzione mandibolare computer assistita, con buona precisione della posizione del segmento osseo rispetto alla padella cutanea, importante per la ricostruzione dei tessuti molli. Nonostante il numero limitato di casi, i risultati preliminari dello studio suggeriscono che questo protocollo è utile nella programmazione virtuale. Sono necessarie ulteriori indagini

Localized amyloidosis presenting with a penile mass: a case report

Amyloidosis is a disease characterized by the deposition of altered proteins in tissues. Amyloid deposition always occurs in the extracellular matrix and presents a fibrillary conformation. Local deposition of amyloid may occur in individual organs, without systemic involvement. We report here a rare case of localized penile shaft amyloidosis--an unusual location for amyloid deposition--presenting as a penile mass that resulted in a urethral stricture in 37-year old male patient. We have also comprehensively reviewed the literature regarding localized amyloidosis