ABSTRACT
We describe a case of melanoma in situ occurring on the oral mucosa in an adolescent male patient who has dysplastic nevus syndrome. This association has not been previously reported and is of interest both because of the rarity of melanoma involving the oral mucosa, particularly in childhood, and because of the lack of any previous reports of oral mucosal melanoma in association with the dysplastic nevus syndrome.
Subject(s)
Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome/pathology , Melanoma/pathology , Mouth Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasms, Multiple Primary , Adolescent , Humans , Male , Mouth Mucosa/pathologyABSTRACT
The gingival cyst of the adult (GCA) is an uncommon gingival lesion that is usually found within attached or unattached soft tissues. It is generally considered to be a cyst of odontogenic origin, though this is still debated somewhat. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment of GCA and summarizes the features of eight cases.
Subject(s)
Gingival Diseases/pathology , Odontogenic Cysts/pathology , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Epithelium/pathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Periodontal Cyst/pathologyABSTRACT
Clinical diagnosis of a chemical burn of the oral mucous membranes may be a diagnostic challenge. This article's intent is to illustrate the typical appearance of a chemical mucosal burn and to increase awareness of the various compounds which, when in contact with the mucous membranes, can result in a burn. The authors present a case involving a self-inflicted chemical injury of the oral mucous membranes and illustrate how the submission of an easily-obtained tissue specimen for pathologic examination may aid in the diagnosis. Because these superficial tissues can be obtained and submitted without the need for local anesthetic, pathologic examination is a quick, easy, and valuable diagnostic test when a patient's history is difficult to obtain or intentionally misleading.
Subject(s)
Burns, Chemical/pathology , Mouth Mucosa/injuries , Aged , Ammonia/adverse effects , Burns, Chemical/etiology , Camphor/adverse effects , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Liniments/adverse effects , Pharmaceutic Aids/adverse effects , Turpentine/adverse effectsABSTRACT
The invasion and migration occurring in primary neoplastic tissue explants were studied by using a three-dimensional collagen matrix model, subsequent time-lapse videomicroscopy, and computer-assisted cell tracking. We show that not only single cells but groups of clustered cells comprising 5 to more than 100 cells detach from the primary tumor lesion and migrate within the adjacent extracellular matrix. These clusters were highly polarized, resulting in a high directional persistence of migration. Locomoting cell clusters were observed in primary cultures from invasive oral squamous cell carcinomas (6 of 9), ductal breast carcinomas (2 of 3), and rhabdomyosarcoma (1 of 1), whereas normal oral mucosa (0 of 4) was cell cluster negative. Thus, locomoting cell clusters could be a novel and potentially important mechanism of cancer cell invasion and metastasis.
Subject(s)
Cell Movement , Tumor Cells, Cultured/cytology , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Collagen , Epithelial Cells , Extracellular Matrix , Humans , Mesoderm/cytology , Rhabdomyosarcoma/pathology , Video RecordingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Metallothioneins (MT) are endogenous metalloproteins involved in the homeostasis of essential metals and detoxification of toxic metals. Some recent experimental studies suggested tumor resistance to cisdiamminedichloroplatin may be associated with overexpression of MT in the tumor. METHODS: The presence of MT in 33 primary testicular germ cell tumor specimens was assessed immunohistochemically using a rabbit polyclonal rat liver MT antibody that cross-reacted with human MT. The data were correlated with the patients' clinical course. RESULTS: Seminomas stained weakly or not at all for MT, regardless of the clinical stage. Most nonseminomas stained heavily for MT. The more advanced staged nonseminomas tended to stain more heavily for MT. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the considerable experimental evidence as well as some inferential clinical data involving MT in cis-diamminedichloroplatin resistance, there appears to be a role for MT in cis-diamminedichloroplatin resistance in germ cell tumors. Further studies to elucidate the role of MT in germ cell tumor chemoresistance are warranted.
Subject(s)
Cisplatin/therapeutic use , Germinoma/chemistry , Metallothionein/analysis , Testicular Neoplasms/chemistry , Drug Resistance , Germinoma/drug therapy , Germinoma/pathology , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Neoplasm Staging , Testicular Neoplasms/drug therapy , Testicular Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
The palisaded encapsulated neuroma is a solitary, small peripheral nerve lesion that occurs primarily on the facial skin of middle-aged adults. We report a series of 13 cases of palisaded encapsulated neuroma occurring on oral mucosa. The lesions presented as solitary, firm, sessile, partly or completely encapsulated, 2 to 3 mm nodules in adults with a mean age of 51 years (median 55 years). Nine of the neuromas occurred on the hard palate; the remainder were found on the soft palate, lower lip mucosa, upper lip mucosa, and maxillary anterior alveolar ridge. None of the cases was associated with neurofibromatosis or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type III. Microscopically, the tumors were characterized by a moderately cellular, fascicular proliferation of spindle cells that showed some areas of nuclear palisading, suggestive of schwannoma. Immunohistochemical stains revealed that the lesions were composed largely of S-100 protein-positive Schwann cells and variable numbers of peripheral nerve axons, which were identified by their positive neurofilament staining. The fibrous capsule of the lesions showed positive staining for epithelial membrane antigen, indicative of perineurium.
