Introduction. The presence of multiple malignancies in the aerodigestive tract is a rare disorder defined as multiple primary carcinoma (MPC)1, which lesions must be at different sites separated by normal mucosa and histologically confirmed, and should not be metastatic disease from the index carcinoma2.
The reported incidence of MPC in the oral cavity has been reported to be 1.4%. MPC can be simultaneous (diagnosed at the same time as the index tumour), synchronous (additional primaries diagnosed within 6 months of the index tumour), or metachronous (primaries that develop more than 6 months after the index tumour)2.
Case report. A 79-year-old edentulous male patient presented 3 different oral lesions: a) an erythro/leukoplasic le- sion on the soft palate and uvula (2,5x1cm), b) a verrucous/ulcerative lesion on the floor of the mouth (1x1cm), c) an exophytic/ulcerative lesion on the edentulus ridge of the 4th sextant (3,5x1cm). Lesions were not associated to any symptoms; the lesions b and c were bleeding and fixed to the underlying tissue.
The patient reported no health concerns; he referred a 10-pack-year of cigarettes history followed by 50-pack-year of cigars. All the lesions presented a dark royal blue aspect after the toluidine blue staining3.
Incisional biopsies were made and the histological examination reported a diagnosis of “oral squamous cell carcino- ma” in each of the tissue samples. Patient was referred to the Department of Oral Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery for the TNM staging and the management.
Conclusion. The MPC pathogenesis is uncertain involving genetic susceptibility, tumor immunity and environmental factors. Moreover, multiple cancers have a poor prognosis, 3-year survival rate of 50%, underlining that secondary prevention should be promoted and supported in adult heavy smokers, as the early diagnosis of oral carcinoma aris- es the probability of successful treatment
