ABSTRACT
Plasmoacanthoma is an extremely rare benign verrucous lesion, with few cases reported in the literature, and it often goes misdiagnosed. An attempt was made to discuss the features and compare them to reduce the diagnostic dilemma in cases of plasmoacanthoma, which mimics squamous cell carcinoma, both for the clinician and pathologist. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for the case report. Institutional ethical clearance was obtained. A review of the literature was conducted after a PubMed search with the keyword "Plasmoacanthoma" on September 20, 2023. Nine articles were obtained, out of which two were not available. One was excluded since it was on plasma cell cheilitis. Five articles, all of which were in the English language, with a diagnosis of plasmoacanthoma were retrieved for the study. A 70-year-old female presented with an ulcer-exophytic lesion involving the lower lip, mimicking a typical squamous cell carcinoma, for which an edge biopsy of the lesion was taken to confirm. Histopathology revealed it to be plasma cell mucositis. The patient was put on the medical line of management with corticosteroids as per guidelines, with no response. A wedge excision was later done as the patient was not responding to medical therapy, and the final histopathology came out to be "plasmoacanthoma". Due to their close resemblance to malignant lesions and histologically mimicking plasma cell mucositis, such lesions often get misdiagnosed, leading to inadequate management. Various sources of literature related to plasmoacanthoma were compared, and the features and histological findings were tabulated so that if any cases were similar to the present case reports, then we could have other differential diagnoses and work accordingly. Plasmoacanthoma may be present in any age group, and the clinical features may be similar to those of squamous cell carcinoma. PCM and plasmoacanthoma are clinically and histologically mimicking conditions that should be confirmed by excisional biopsy on histopathological examination rather than incisional biopsy to avoid pathological adversity, as seen in our case. IHC with kappa and lambda light chains will help identify clonal plasma cells seen in plasmoacanthoma.
ABSTRACT
Dirofilariasis is an infection caused by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria. Dirofilaria immitis primarily causes pulmonary dirofilariasis, while subcutaneous dirofilariasis is usually caused by Dirofilaria tenuis and Dirofilaria repens but can rarely be caused by Dirofilaria immitis as well. Here we report a rare case where in a 26-year-old with a history of international travel presented with swelling over the nasal dorsum. Following surgical excision, histopathological examination revealed dirofilariasis. Although uncommon, this zoonosis should be taken into consideration as a differential diagnosis of facial swellings.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To determine the effect of cochlear dose on sensorineural hearing loss in patients with head and neck cancer treated by radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A two-year longitudinal study was conducted on 130 subjects with various head and neck malignancies who were receiving radiotherapy or chemoradiation. 56 patients received only radiotherapy while 74 patients received concurrent chemoradiation five days a week at a dose of 66-70 Gy. They were categorized as having a radiation dose to the cochlea of <35 Gy, <45 Gy or >45 Gy. Pre- and post-therapy audiological evaluation was done using a Pure-tone audiogram, distortion product otoacoustic emission, and impedence. Hearing thresholds were measured at frequencies up to 16,000 Hz. RESULTS: Out of 130 patients 56 received RT alone and 74 received CTRT. There was statistically significant (p value <0.005) difference in Pure-tone audiometry assessment in both the RT and CTRT groups between subjects who received more than and <45 Gy of radiation to the cochlea. There was no significant difference in distortion product otoacoustic emission assessment between patients who received >45 Gy and <45 Gy radiation to the cochlea. Comparison between subjects who received radiation dose of <35 Gy and >45 Gy revealed significant results in the degree of hearing loss (p value <0.005). CONCLUSION: We observed that patients who received >45 Gy of radiation had more sensorineural hearing loss compared to patients who received <45 Gy. A cochlear dose of <35 Gy is associated with significantly lower hearing loss compared to higher doses. We would like to conclude by emphasizing the importance of regular audiological assessments prior to and post radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, with regular follow-ups encouraged over a longer period to improve the quality of life in patients with head and neck malignancy.
