Human papillomavirus co-infection and survival in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A study in 235 Brazilian patients.

OBJECTIVES: While unknown for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), some studies assessing cervical carcinoma have shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) co-infection can be associated with its prognosis. METHODS: Through in situ hybridization (HPV and Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] probes) and immunohistochemistry (p16INK4a, cyclin D1, p53, and Ki-67 antibodies), 126 OPSCC and 109 OSCC samples were assessed. RESULTS: All patients were EBV-negative. OPSCC (25%) showed a significant association with HPV compared to OSCC (11%). Almost all HPV-associated cases were p16INK4a-positive. Regarding OPSCC and OSCC, 23 and 7 cases were positive for high-risk HPV (HRHPV) only, 6 and 3 cases for low-risk HPV (LRHPV) only, and 3 and 2 cases for HRHPV/LRHPV, respectively. HPV-associated carcinomas showed a significantly higher proliferative index than HPV-unassociated carcinomas. Both carcinomas showed a similar overall survival rate, which was not affected by the HPV status. However, when comparing HPV-associated subgroups, patients with HRHPV/LRHPV-associated carcinomas showed worse survival. CONCLUSION: LRHPV-associated and HRHPV/LRHPV-associated cases can also be detected when assessing OSCC and OPSCC. Further studies, especially in populations with a high prevalence of HPV-associated OPSCC, are necessary to understand the clinicopathological behavior of these neoplasm subgroups.

Complex odontoma restricting mouth opening: an unusual clinical presentation and surgical management.

Odontomas are common benign odontogenic tumors, being often detected on routine radiographs during the first two decades of life. Rarely, odontoma can interfere with jaw movements, causing mouth opening limitation. A 28-year-old male patient was referred complaining of restriction of mouth opening and mandibular movements, which started 6 months ago. Clinical examination revealed a painless increase of volume on the right maxilla, which interfered the mandibular movements, being associated with pain in these attempts. A well-defined, oval radiopaque lesion in close relationship with the impacted maxillary right third molar was detected in tomographic reconstructions. A surgical excision of the lesion was performed, and microscopy revealed complex odontoma. After 4 months of follow-up, the patient achieved adequate mouth opening and recovered mandibular movements. In the current case, the lesion was placed in a difficult access site, which directly interfered with the displacement of coronoid process. Odontoma should be included in the differential diagnosis when assessing causes of restricted mouth opening.

Immunohistochemical characterization of immune cell infiltration in paediatric and adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an inflammatory myeloid neoplasia commonly affecting children with frequent somatic mutations in MAPK pathway genes including BRAFV600E and MAP2K1. Some studies suggest that LCH cells can recruit and modulate inflammatory cells, which could provide reciprocal survival signals. To characterize the immune profile of infiltrating inflammatory cells, and to clarify their participation in LCH pathogenesis, a detailed immunohistochemical analysis was performed. Fifteen (10 children, 5 adults) LCH cases were assessed through macrophage (CD68 and CD163), mature dendritic cell (mDC; CD83 and CD208), regulatory T cell (Treg; CD4, CD25 and FOXP3) and cytotoxic lymphocyte (CL; CD56, CD57, perforin and granzyme B) immunomarkers. Moreover, lymphocytic and LCH markers were also analysed. All cases were S100, CD1a, CD207 and CD4-positive. Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expression was observed in 13 of 15 cases. In the immune microenvironment, M2-polarized macrophages and Tregs were the predominant cell populations, followed by significantly (P < .005) smaller levels of mDCs and CLs. Additionally, the number of CD3 + cells was significantly higher than that of CD20 + cells. In the CD3 + cell population, there were a significantly higher number of CD4 + cells than CD8 + cells. While there were no differences when comparing the paediatric and adult populations, FOXP3 + cells were significantly higher in patients with multisystem involvement and treated with chemotherapy, than single-site cases and those without chemotherapy. Our results suggest that M2-polarized macrophages and Treg infiltration can promote LCH development and survival, probably through pro-tumoral, immunosuppressive and/or cytokine-mediated mechanisms. This work highlights the need for further exploration of immune-targeted therapy for LCH.

Gingival ossifying myopericytoma in a pediatric patient: Immunohistochemical analysis and literature review.

Myopericytoma is a rare mesenchymal tumor characterized by a hemangiopericytoma-like vascular pattern with perivascular myoid differentiation. To date, only 11 cases of oral myopericytoma have been reported. To the best of our knowledge, myopericytoma with gingival involvement and associated with calcifications has not been reported, expanding their clinicopathological spectrum. Herein, we report a 12-year-old girl female patient who presented a gingival nodule diagnosed as ossifying myopericytoma, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis when assessing oral soft tissue lesions, especially in pediatric patients.