Multiple endocrine neoplasia-2B presenting with orthodontic relapse.

The multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes are a relatively uncommon group of genetic disorders characterized by the development of tumors in various endocrine organs. MEN type 2B is of particular interest to the dental profession because of its oral manifestations, which are often some of the earliest clinically detectable signs of the disorder. Early identification of this syndrome is critical because affected patients often develop a characteristic malignancy, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, at a very early age. We describe a 17-year-old male whose initial diagnosis of MEN-2B was triggered by his orthodontist's request for an oral and maxillofacial pathology consultation to evaluate the patient's oral abnormalities.

Extra Nodal Rosai-Dorfman Disease Originating in the Nasal and Paranasal Complex and Gnathic Bones: A Systematic Analysis of Seven Cases and Review of Literature.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a benign, self-limiting histiocytosis of unknown etiology. The classic form of the condition includes a painless cervical lymphaenopathy accompanied by fever, weight loss and an elevated ESR. Extra nodal RDD (ENRDD) is most frequent in the head and neck. Thirty-eight cases of ENRDD have been described. Seven cases of ENRDD were identified in our pathology biopsy services. The demographic and clinical information was tabulated logically on the basis of age, gender, location and presence or absence of symptoms, treatment and follow-up. Radiographic and histopathological features were also examined. The findings in these cases were correlated with those available from the previously reported cases. Six cases affected women and one case was diagnosed in a male. The age ranged from 22-55 years. Three cases presented as a nasal mass. One of these lesions extended into the paranasal sinuses. One case was located in the maxilla and extended to involve the maxillary sinus. Three cases were diagnosed in the mandible. The maxillary and one mandibular lesion (Case 2) resulted in significant painful irregular bone destruction with a non-healing socket and tooth mobility respectively. One mandibular lesion was asymptomatic (Case 6). The third case affecting the mandible presented as a rapidly expansile mass following a tooth extraction (Case 7). Nasal masses presented with symptoms of obstruction. Nasal masses were excised with no recurrence from up to 2-3 years of follow-up. The mandibular lesions were curetted aggressively. The oral mass in Case 7 was excised synchronously. No recurrence up to 2 years was recorded in Case 2. Follow-up information is not available for Cases 6 and 7. The maxillary lesion was not intervened surgically. The patient has persistent but stable disease for a follow-up period of 2 years. ENRDD is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis in the absence of lymph node involvement. Lesions of ENRDD resemble many other histiocytic and histiocyte-rich lesions of the head and neck. This makes the diagnosis of ENRDD challenging with the potential for under diagnosis or misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.

Oral Mycosis Fungoides: A Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome are clonal T-cell proliferations that exhibit skin homing and represent the majority of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Early MF is a diagnostic challenge as both the clinical and microscopic features often mimic benign inflammatory conditions. Oral MF is very rare and has been associated in the past with advanced disease and a poor prognosis. Skin lesions are present for an average of > 6 years before oral involvement occurs. The clinical appearance is highly variable with tongue, palate and gingiva most often affected. We report 3 additional cases of oral MF, including one in which oral lesions are the initial disease presentation. Survival in patients presenting with oral MF is improving and can be attributed to advances in therapy.

Dental Students' Clinical Experience Across Three Successive Curricula at One U.S. Dental School.

As dental schools continue to seek the most effective ways to provide clinical education for students, it is important to track the effects innovations have on students' clinical experience to allow for quantitative comparisons of various curricula. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of three successive clinical curricula on students' experience at one U.S. dental school. The three were a discipline-based curriculum (DBC), a comprehensive care curriculum (CCC), and a procedural requirement curriculum plus externships (PRCE). Students' clinic experience data from 1992 to 2013 were analyzed for total experience and in five discipline areas. Clinic experience metrics analyzed were patient visits (PVs), relative value units (RVUs), and equivalent amounts (EQAs). A minimum experience threshold (MET) and a high experience threshold (HET) were set at one standard deviation above and below the mean for the DBC years. Students below the MET were designated as low achievers; students above the HET were designated as high achievers. The results showed significant differences among the three curricula in almost all areas of comparison: total PVs, total EQAs, total RVUs, RVUs by discipline, and number of high and low achievers in total clinical experience and by discipline. The comprehensive care approach to clinical education did not negatively impact students' clinical experience and in many cases enhanced it. The addition of externships also enhanced student total clinical experience although more study is needed to determine their effectiveness. The insights provided by this study suggest that the methodology used including the metrics of PVs, EQAs, and RVUs may be helpful for other dental schools in assessing students' clinical experience.

Chemoprevention of oral cancer by topical application of black raspberries on high at-risk mucosa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the preclinical efficacy of topical administration of freeze-dried black raspberries (BRBs) to inhibit the progression of premalignant oral lesions and modulate biomarkers of cancer development in high at-risk mucosa (HARM). STUDY DESIGN: Hamster cheek pouches (HCPs) were treated with carcinogen for 6 weeks to initiate a HARM microenvironment. Subsequently, right HCPs were topically administered a BRB suspension in short-term or long-term studies. After 12 weeks, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) multiplicity, SCC incidence, and cell proliferation rates were evaluated. mRNA expression was measured in short-term treated pouches for selected oral cancer biomarkers. RESULTS: SCC multiplicity (-41.3%), tumor incidence (-37.1%), and proliferation rate (-6.9%) were reduced in HCPs receiving BRBs. Topical BRBs correlated with an increase in RB1 expression in developing oral lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Topical BRBs inhibit SCC development when targeted to HARM tissues. These results support the translational role of BRBs to prevent oral cancer development in humans.

Chemoprevention of oral cancer by lyophilized strawberries.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Oral cancer represents approximately 2.5% of all cancers in the United States, with five- and 10-year survival rates of 62% and 51%. In the present study, lyophilized strawberries (LS) were evaluated for their potential to inhibit tumorigenesis in the hamster cheek pouch (HCP) model of oral cancer and for their ability to modify expression of several genes relevant to oral cancer development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HCPs were painted three times a week for six weeks with 0.2% 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Hamsters were given 5% or 10% LS in their diet prior to, during, and after, or only after carcinogen treatment. Animals were sacrificed 12 weeks from the beginning of DMBA treatment and the number of total lesions and tumors was determined. RESULTS: A significant difference (p<0.01-0.04) in the number of tumors was found between the LS-treated groups and the carcinogen controls. Histological examination of HCPs revealed a significant reduction in mild and severe dysplasia following 12 weeks of treatment with LS. Molecular analysis revealed that genes related to tumor development were modulated by LS. CONCLUSION: These experiments support previous studies in HCP that demonstrated a chemopreventive activity by black raspberries and show, to our knowledge for the first time, that strawberries can inhibit tumor formation in an animal model of oral cancer.

Allelic imbalance in oral lichen planus and assessment of its classification as a premalignant condition.

OLP is a relatively common immune-mediated mucosal condition with a predilection for middle-aged women. Although classified as a premalignant condition, this classification remains controversial. Using stringent diagnostic criteria, some authors have found that OLP patients are not at increased risk for oral SCC. Credible but limited genetic evidence also indicates that epithelial tissues from OLP patients diagnosed using stringent criteria differs from premalignant or malignant oral lesions but is similar to epithelium from benign oral lesions. To further investigate this genetic line of evidence, biopsy specimens diagnosed as fibroma, OLP, low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, and SCC were retrieved from the archives of the Oral Pathology Consultants at the Ohio State University. Using laser capture microdissection, tissue of interest was captured from each case and DNA subsequently extracted. Fluorescently labeled PCR primers were used to amplify DNA at 3 tumor suppressor gene loci (3p14.2, 9p21, and 17p13) and evaluated for LOH or microsatellite instability (MSI). OLP was found to be significantly different from low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, and SCC when LOH/MSI was found at more than 1 loci (P = .011, P = .032, P = .003), but not different from benign fibromas (P = .395). In agreement with previous studies, well-documented cases of OLP diagnosed using stringent criteria exhibit a genetic profile more similar to a benign or reactive process than a premalignant/malignant one. These findings do not support the classification of OLP as a premalignant condition.

Aggressive osteoblastoma of the maxilla: a case report and review of the literature.

Aggressive osteoblastoma is a rare primary bone neoplasm with the potential for local invasion and recurrence. While the vertebrae or long bones are most commonly affected, few well-documented cases have been reported in the jaws. A 25-year-old man presented with a palatal mass of several months' duration. He reported the lesion had undergone gradual enlargement and, while generally asymptomatic, had recently become increasingly painful. An incisional biopsy was interpreted as "osteoblastic neoplasm" most suggestive of osteoblastoma. However, final diagnosis was deferred until the resection specimen could be evaluated. Following partial maxillectomy, histopathologic examination revealed a proliferation of large epithelioid cells with eccentric nuclei and prominent nucleoli associated with broad, irregular deposits of osteoid and trabeculae of bone. The lesional cells exhibited minimal pleomorphism with infrequent, normal-appearing mitotic figures and numerous osteoclast-like giant cells were observed within an associated loose fibrovascular stroma. Transformation of "blue bone" to more organized eosinophilic trabeculae of woven bone was noted at the periphery of the lesion and there was no evidence of invasion. A diagnosis of aggressive osteoblastoma was made. Previous reports of gnathic aggressive osteoblastoma are reviewed and the features that distinguish this process from conventional osteoblastoma or osteoblastoma-like osteosarcoma are presented.

Angiopoietin-like 4: a novel molecular hallmark in oral Kaposi's sarcoma.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) remains among the most common causes of oral cancer in HIV-infected individuals. Infection with the KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8) is a necessary event for disease development. Emerging evidence suggests that KSHV infects vascular endothelial (or endothelial progenitor) cells promoting the formation of the KS tumor (or spindle) cell. These cells elaborate angiogenic growth factors and cytokines that promote the dysregulated angiogenesis and profuse edema that characterizes this unusual vascular tumor. Central among these secreted factors is the potent endothelial cell mitogen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Indeed, VEGF has proven to be a key player in KSHV pathogenesis and is a molecular hallmark of KS lesions. We have recently shown that a second angiogenic factor, Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), may also play a critical role in KS development. Here we demonstrate that ANGPTL4 is upregulated both directly and indirectly by the KSHV oncogene, vGPCR. We further show that ANGPTL4 is a molecular hallmark of oral KS lesions. Indeed, expression of this protein was observed in more tumor cells and in more biopsies specimens than expression of VEGF (23/25 or 92% vs. 19/25 or 76%, respectively) in oral KS. These surprising results support a key role for ANGPTL4 in Kaposi's sarcomagenesis and further suggest that this angiogenic factor may provide a novel diagnostic and therapeutic marker for oral KS patients.