Apoptosis in premalignant and malignant squamous cell lesions of the oral cavity: a light microscopic study.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancers are a major health problem in India. Recently, parameters of cell proliferation and cell death have emerged as important diagnostic and prognostic tools. AIMS: The aim was to study apoptosis in premalignant and malignant squamous cell lesions of the oral cavity and to evaluate its prognostic role in oral cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 175 patients presenting with oral lesions. Evaluation of apoptotic index (AI) (using light microscopy) was performed on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Student's t test was performed. RESULTS: The mean AI increased progressively with increasing dysplasia, with the maximum AI in well-differentiated (WD) squamous cell carcinoma, and a fall was noted with progression toward higher grades. The difference between WD SCC and poorly-differentiated SCC was significant (P < 0.05). Cases with lymph node metastasis had significantly (P < 0.05) lower mean AI values. CONCLUSION: Apoptosis can be fairly accurately assessed using light microscopy. Tumors that exhibit less apoptosis tend to show aggressive behavior and have a greater potential for metastasis.

Orbital amelanotic melanoma in xeroderma pigmentosum: a rare association.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA repair in which the body's normal ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet light is deficient. This leads to a 1000-fold increased risk of cutaneous and ocular neoplasms. Ocular neoplasms occurring in XP in order of frequency are squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Malignant melanomas occur at an early age in patients with XP. We report a case of XP with massive orbital melanoma in an eight-year-old boy which is unique due to its amelanotic presentation confirmed histopathologically.

Ocular manifestations of cysticercosis: a case report.

Ocular and extraocular cysticercosis is a commonly encountered manifestation of the disease caused by the cysticercus cellulosae. Any region of the eye may be afflicted including the subconjunctival space. We present the case ofa young female who developed a small mass at the medial canthus of the left eye, which was diagnosed as conjunctival cysticercosis subsequent to excision and histopathological examination.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease--a case report.

The etiology of cervical lymphadenopathy is multifactorial including infections and tumoral lesions. Histiocytic necrotising lymphadenitis or Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease is a rare cause of cervical lymphadenopathy which does not have specific clinical signs. We report herewith a case of Kikuchi's disease (KD) diagnosed by histopathology.