Lack of public awareness toward alcohol consumption as risk factor for oral and pharyngeal cancers.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M D Mignogna.
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In recent years, studies on the malignant potential of oral lichen planus (OLP) provided clinical evidence that patients affected by OLP have an increased risk to develop oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); nevertheless, controversies still exist as to whether OLP has inherent predisposition to become malignant, or not. We believe extremely careful management of OLP patient is mandatory, and the aim of this paper is to illustrate our clinical guidelines in evaluating the possible risk of transformation in OLP lesions. Five-hundred and two patients (311 women and 191 men) affected by OLP regularly undergo follow-up examination in our Department. Patients' ages range from 18 to 83 years, with a mean of 55.4 years (57.5 for women and 53.9 for men); minimal follow-up period is 4 months, with a maximum of 12 years. In our group of OLP patients in the past 5 years we detected 24 carcinomas: excluding three cases in which diagnoses of OLP and OSCC were synchronous and three patients who had a history of tobacco use, thus possible malignant transformation of OLP would appear to be 3.7%. Clinical criteria used in our follow-up allowed us to detect 28.5% of tumours as in situ OSCC, 38% as microinvasive OSCC, 28.5% as stage I OSCC and 4.7% as stage II OSCC, with a remarkable improvement in prognosis compared to our previous study in which we adopted different criteria.
BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare, chronic, intraepithelial bullous disease with a potentially fatal outcome. Oral lesions are a hallmark of PV and occur in almost all cases, and represent the preliminary symptom in more than half of the patients. Gingival lesions are very common and, when solitary, often first recognized by periodontist. METHOD: In the literature, gingival localization of PV are usually described as desquamative gingivitis (DG) and/or as vesiculobullous lesions of the free and attached gingiva; in our experience, early lesions only rarely appears as extensive erythema and erosions. CONCLUSIONS: PV at the onset may frequently appear on gingiva as isolated blisters and/or erosions mainly located to the free gingiva, very little in extension and hardly to recognize as bullous lesions.
BACKGROUND, AIMS: Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a descriptive term used for granulomatous disorders of the face and oral cavity that may occur for a variety of reasons, some of which result in significant morbidity and mortality. Although rarely, a granular enlargements of the gingiva may be the first clinical manifestation of OFG, preceding other local or systemic manifestations. METHOD: We will report a case of OFG that showed an atypical and monosymptomatic onset with a generalized hyperplastic gingivitis that preceded other facial and mucosal features by several weeks. RESULT: Considering the variable clinical onset of OFG and its apparent increase in incidence, we emphasize that in some cases, the periodontologist, as first consulted health care professional, plays an important role to detect this disorder. Early diagnosis of OFG is a crucial step to prevent and cure its unsightly sequelae and sometimes avoid progression of systemic potentially life-threatening OFG-related diseases. CONCLUSION: Thus, when none of the common causes of gingival enlargement can be detected, OFG diagnosis should be suspected.
BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucosa due to the presence of autoantibodies against the components of desmosomes. To date, less is known about the expression levels of beta- and gamma-catenins in blistering diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of beta- and gamma-catenins in the pathogenesis of acantholysis in pemphigus vulgaris. METHODS: beta- and gamma-catenin expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 30 cases of PV at various stages of the disease and, as controls, in 18 specimens of the skin/oral mucosa of healthy patients. RESULTS: Healthy skin and normal oral mucosa showed a strong beta- and gamma-catenin expression in basal and spinous layers with a prevalent cellular membrane distribution; the intensity of staining progressively decreased toward the superficial layers of epithelium. In PV patients, cytoplasmic expression of gamma-catenin was detected in 28/30 cases, and in 19/30 cases of PV for beta-catenin. Moreover, a progressive displacement of the signal toward the nucleus was found in 14/30 cases for beta-catenin, with dyslocalization toward the nucleus, particularly in areas with intense acantholysis, and in 22/30 cases of PV for gamma-catenin. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal distribution of gamma-catenin, consequent to PV IgG, may be considered a direct consequence of Dg3 dissociation from catenin. gamma-catenin likely plays a direct role in PV pathogenesis through its dyslocalization toward the nucleus or indirectly through the beta-catenin dyslocalization toward the nucleus, which is thought to induce transcription of selected target genes, such as uPAR.
Cell-to-cell adhesion is mediated by cadherins (integral membrane proteins), which form a complex with catenins (cytoplasmatic proteins). While E-cadherin expression has been extensively studied in many human skin diseases, less is known about the expression levels of catenins in oral blistering diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of acantholysis in oral pemphigus vulgaris. We evaluated by immunohistochemistry beta- and gamma-catenin expression in 7 cases of oral pemphigus vulgaris (PV) at various stages of the disease and, as controls, in 18 healthy patients. Healthy cases showed, as reported in the literature, a strong reactivity with both beta- and gamma-catenins, with the intensity of staining progressively decreasing from the spinous to the keratinised layers of epithelium, which had a prevalent cellular membrane expression. In PV patients, we detected a loss of membrane expression of these molecules with a progressive displacement of the signal toward the cytosol and, for gamma-catenin, nuclear dislocation, particularly in areas with intense acantholysis.
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the clinical use of a corticosteroid in three preparations (topical clobetasol propionate ointment, clobetasol propionate in an oral analgesic base, and clobetasol propionate in an adhesive denture paste). METHODS: Fifty-four patients (34 males and 20 females) with a history of vesiculo-ulcero-erosive oral lesions were selected: 24 with oral erosive lichen planus and 30 with aphthae. The subjects enrolled were randomly divided into three groups, each of 18 patients (10 with aphthae and 8 with lichen planus): the first was treated with topical clobetasol propionate ointment (0.05%) directly on the lesion(s) three times a day; the second with clobetasol propionate in an adhesive denture paste in equal amounts (1:1) two times a day; the third with clobetasol propionate in an oral analgesic base (Orabase-B) in equal amounts (1:1) two times a day. Each subject scored his or her symptoms daily from most severe (7) to none (0) by verbal assessments using a categorical scale. RESULTS: In all cases, the administration of the corticosteroid was effective in producing remission of symptoms in each group of patients. Significant differences (P<0.05) between groups were determined by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The Dunn test was used in order to detect which group differs from the others; clobetasol and adhesive denture paste correlated with an early remission of pain in lichen and apthous lesions. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that topical application of clobetasol in an adhesive denture paste is an effective drug for symptomatic oral vesiculo-erosive and/or ulcerative lesions.
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Oral lichen planus (OLP) is classified among precancerous conditions, as it is considered a generalized state associated with a significantly increased risk of cancer. The objective of this study was to discuss ultra-structural aspects of OLP that could play a role in enhancing metastatic potential, thus worsening the prognosis in oral squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC). We report four cases of microinvasive OSCC which have occurred in OLP patients. All of them were stage I tumors, with a mean thickness of 1.75 mm. Recent studies indicate a tumor thickness over 4 mm as predictive of nodal metastases, but within 6 mo, our four patients with OSCC arising from OLP developed lymphnodal metastases. Our findings suggest that OLP-related OSCC may have a worse prognosis because of increased metastatic potential; obviously, further investigation is required, but this preliminary evidence emphasizes that extremely careful management of OLP patients is mandatory, and in cases of OSCC arising from OLP, a more radical treatment is probably required.
PURPOSE: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) comprises a group of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases characterized by clonal expansion of lymphocytes at various levels of ontogenetic development. The aim of this study was to review the immunohistochemical and cytogenetic features of 10 cases of NLH of the jaws to determine their respective derivation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Histopathologic and immunohistochemical review of 10 cases of large-cell lymphomas of the jaws, together with Southern blot analysis of 2 of the cases, was performed and results compared with the findings in the literature. RESULTS: In the 10 cases studied, the average age of onset of the NHL was 51 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:2. Tumefaction was the first clinical sign of disease. Eight of 10 cases were high-grade, large-cell NHLs, centroblastic type. Two cases were high-grade, large-cell NHL, immunoblastic type. CONCLUSION: The immunohistochemical and Southern blot data remain the principal laboratory aids in the diagnosis and characterization of NHL, and they provide critical information for guiding clinicians to the appropriate treatment protocol for these malignancies.
Leiomyosarcoma is a relatively uncommon mesenchymal tumor that exhibits smooth-muscle differentiation. We report a new case of leiomyosarcoma involving the tongue of a 67-year-old male. Histologically, the tumor was composed of variably oriented fascicles of spindle-shaped cells with 'cigar-shaped' nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm, containing occasional PAS-positive granules. Atypical mitotic figures and necrotic foci were frequently detected. Consistent desmin, alpha-smooth muscle-specific and sarcomeric actin, and vimentin immunoreactivity was demonstrated in the tumor cells, whereas cytokeratins, CD 30, CD 31, CD 34, CD 45, CD 68, EMA, GFAP, HMB 45 and S-100 protein were negative. The patient underwent wide surgical excision of the tumor and is alive and disease-free at a 5-year follow-up. This report emphasizes the difficulties in the differential diagnosis of these uncommon tumors in an intra-oral location.
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Systemic corticosteroids remain the mainstay of therapy for pemphigus. Their use has transformed what was almost invariably a fatal illness into one whose mortality is now below 10%. Unfortunately, the high doses and prolonged administration of corticosteroids that are often needed to control the disease result in numerous side effects, many of which are serious or even life-threatening. Sixteen patients affected by oral pemphigus vulgaris were retrospectively examined to illustrate the natural course of the disease and to describe the efficacy of the treatment we utilised. Deflazacort, used with azathioprine, is the steroid of first choice in our therapeutic protocols, while cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone "pulse therapy" are reserved for cases unresponsive to high doses of oral corticosteroids. In addition, the literature on oral pemphigus vulgaris was reviewed with respect to clinical history, signs and symptoms, management, and treatment outcome.
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BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection induces variable dermatologic manifestations. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether differences exist in the clinical features and behavior of oral lichen planus (OLP) between HCV-positive (HCV+ve) and HCV-negative (HCV-ve) patients. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty three patients (156 women and 107 men), with a mean age of 55.5 years, with OLP (76 HCV+ve and 187 HCV-ve) were clinically evaluated. Previously, all local factors that could modify the clinical characteristics were removed and were monitored carefully following morphology. RESULTS: In both groups, the prevalent clinical form of OLP was the mixed form (33.1% in HCV-ve and 35.5% in HCV+ve patients), in which reticular-plaque lesions coexist with atrophic-erosive ones. The reticular form was more frequent in HCV+ve (25%) than in HCV-ve (18. 7%) patients, whereas plaque lesions were more prevalent in HCV-ve (15.5%) than in HCV+ve (5.2%) patients (P < 0.01, chi-squared test). There were no significant differences in the frequency of erosive (27.2% in HCV-ve and 27.6% in HCV+ve) and atrophic (5.3% in HCV-ve and 5.2% in HCV+ve) forms between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that there were statistically significant differences between OLP-HCV-ve and OLP-HCV+ve groups for reticular and plaque clinical forms. These findings underline the importance of liver examination in all OLP patients, including cases with mild, asymptomatic keratotic forms of the disease.
OBJECTIVES: A retrospective review of a large series of oro-facial cases of tuberculosis to analyse clinical, histopathological, and radiological aspects, as well as those of chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 42 cases of tuberculosis of the oro-facial region were examined. Thirteen patients had a primary form and 29 a secondary form of the disease. Diagnosis was based on careful clinical examination, Mantoux reaction, histopathological examination, microbiological cultures and immunological investigation with the detection of antibodies against Mycobacteria in the patients' serum (ELISA). RESULTS: Cases examined consisted of 27 males and 15 females. The age range was 3 to 73 years (mean age 31 years). Clinical manifestations comprised oral ulcers in 69.1%, bone involvement in 21.4%, and salivary gland and/or lymph node involvement in 14.3%. A total of 79.4% patients with secondary disease had pulmonary lesions, 15 of whom showed clinical and radiological signs of activity; there was one case of bilateral renal lesions and two of skin lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Oro-facial tuberculosis is often difficult to diagnose and it should be an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of lesions that appear in the oral cavity. The most important diagnostic tools remain a careful clinical evaluation, biopsy for histologic study, as well as acid-fast stains, culture, and immunological assays, and skin testing.