Clinicopathologic features and risk factors associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC): A comprehensive descriptive study analyzing the burden of OSCC in a tertiary-level hospital in North Kerala, India.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, and India shows a high incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases. Kerala accounts for a sizeable number of these cases, most of which can be attributed to the deleterious habits prevalent in a vast majority of the population. A comprehensive descriptive-prospective study was done in our institution over 18 months to identify the possible risk factors, to describe the clinical and sociodemographic variables of OSCC, and to understand the burden of this dreaded disease in the North Kerala population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data collection was done using a structured pro forma. The data were tabulated and organized; uni- and bivariate analysis were performed along with cross-tabulations for various parameters and relevant variables. A total of 243 histopathologically confirmed cases of OSCC during 18 months comprised the sample in this study. RESULTS: Among the 243 cases, 220 patients had deleterious habits. Betel chewing was the most predominant habit. Buccal mucosa was the commonly affected site. Twenty-three patients had no history of any habits. Majority of the patients presented in stage 3 and 4 of the disease. Moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma was the major histologic type. CONCLUSION: The majority of the patients had clinical lesions corresponding to the habit usage, showing a low awareness of tobacco cessation and intervention programs and a high burden of OSCC in the North Kerala population.

Multiple myeloma with oral manifestations as maxillary ulceroproliferative lesion: A case report.

ABSTRACT: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the most common malignant neoplasm of bone and can manifest with different clinical features in oral cavity. MM lesions in skull and jaws have characteristic punched out lesions but are often confused with meningioma when they occur in skull as solitary lesions. We report a case of MM that reported in oral cavity for which prompt diagnosis was done, but there were symptoms that persisted for years and a skull lesion that was diagnosed and treated as meningioma before MM was diagnosed from the oral lesions. This is the first case where the patient has been actually treated for meningioma, and then diagnosed with MM after months. In that case, SBP or MM should be included in the differential diagnosis of a dural mass, particularly when a patient is complaining of neurological deficits. Also, the role of oral physician in the diagnosis of MM should be stressed in diagnosis and multidisciplinary management, thus facilitating better clinical outcomes.

Rare Case Reports: A Rarity?

The basic principle of science is to always think of the simplest explanation for a condition. But in post graduate training, distinguishing a rare case from a common case is a dilemma for the naïve clinician. Often the eager and enthusiastic resident trainees are more prone to fall into this "rare case phenomenon." Innumerable rare case reports in countless scientific journals may give the false impression to the budding trainee that uncommon cases are encountered every now and then. This article stresses on the importance of applying certain rules that can help in making the diagnostic process systematic and simpler. The chance of encountering rare cases are in fact rare and limited, wherreas in some circumstances, can diagnose life threatening conditions too.

Psammomatoid and trabecular variants of juvenile ossifying fibroma-two case reports.

Juvenile ossifying fibroma (JOF) is an uncommon fibro-osseous lesion occurring in the facial bones. It is highly aggressive and has a strong tendency to recur. It has been recognized as a separate histopathological entity among the fibro-osseous group of lesions. Surgical resection is the preferred line of treatment. Here we report two cases of JOF who reported to the oral medicine and radiology department; the two cases had different clinical features, history, radiological appearance, and aggressiveness. Under the recent classification system, both cases were recognized as histopathological variants of JOF: one psammomatoid and the other trabecular.