Oral metastasis intraosseous mimicking periapical lesion: a case report / Metástase oral intraóssea mimetizando lesão periapical: um relato de caso

ABSTRACT Jaw metastasis can be mistaken for inflammatory or infectious diseases. Then, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unknown jaw lesions. Study reported here involved metastasis of breast cancer in the mandible of a 45-year-old woman. The most important differential diagnostic was a reactive lesion in an unusual periapical location associated with a nonvital tooth. However, given patient's medical history and because paresthesia and pain were observed a few days after pulpectomy, metastasis of breast cancer could not be ruled out. When bone scintigraphy suggested the metastasis of a malignant bone tumor, incisional biopsy was performed. Histopathologic examination and immunohistochemical reaction confirmed the diagnosis of metastasis of breastcancer, and chemotherapy was thus performed as well. Unfortunately, patient died 2 years after diagnosis. Dentists as well as general physicians should therefore consider presence of oral metastasis in cases involving atypical symptoms, especially in patients with known malignant disease.

RESUMO As metástases mandibulares podem ser confundidas com doenças inflamatórias ou infecciosas. Sendo assim, elas devem ser consideradas no diagnóstico diferencial de lesões desconhecidas na mandíbula. Esse relato de caso envolveu metástase de câncer de mama na mandíbula de uma mulher de 45 anos. O diagnóstico diferencial mais importante foi uma lesão reacional, em uma localização periapical incomum, associada a um dente não vital. No entanto, dado o histórico médico da paciente e uma vez que parestesia e dor foram observadas alguns dias após a realização da pulpectomia, a metástase de câncer de mama não foi descartada. Quando a cintilografia óssea sugeriu a metástase de um tumor ósseo maligno, uma biópsia incisional foi realizada. O exame histopatológico e a reação imunohistoquímica confirmaram o diagnóstico de metástase do câncer de mama, e a quimioterapia foi então realizada. Infelizmente, a paciente morreu 2 anos após o diagnóstico. Portanto, dentistas e médicos generalistas devem considerar a presença demetástases oral em casos que envolvam sintomas atípicos, principalmente em pacientes com doença maligna conhecida.

Immunolocalization of Cancer Stem Cells Marker ALDH1 and its Association with Tumor Budding in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Tumor budding is a prognostic marker for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) characterized by the presence of isolated or small clusters of neoplastic cells at the tumor invasive front. Aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH1) is associated with tumorigenesis, linked to treatment resistance and shown to identify cancer stem cells (CSC)-like cells. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of ALDH1 and its association with tumor budding in OSCC. Immunohistochemistry was employed in 163 OSCC samples to identify pancytokeratin (AE1/AE3) and ALDH1. While pancytokeratin (AE1/AE3) identified squamous tumor buds, the CSC-like cells were identified using ALDH1. A Chi square test was used to evaluate association between ALDH1 expression and tumor budding, while McNemar's test was used to identify differences in ALDH1 expression between the budding area and the area outside the budding. A positive expression of ALDH1 was observed in 47.24% of the samples and in 70% of anatomic locations affected. No association was observed between ALDH1 expression and tumor budding (p > 0.05). In tumors with high-intensity tumor budding, ALDH1 expression was higher in the budding area than in the area outside the budding (p < 0.05). The finding that tumor bud cells in OSCC show phenotypic characteristics of CSC-like cells reinforces the relevance of tumor budding in determining the biological behavior of this malignant neoplasm. Moreover, the presence of CSC-like cells in nearly half of evaluated samples of OSCC and in most of the affected anatomic locations is in accordance with the CSC model of oral carcinogenesis.

Cell proliferation is associated with intensity of tumor budding in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor budding is a morphological marker of cancer invasion, defined as the presence of isolated or small clusters of neoplastic cells at the tumor invasive front. This study aimed to evaluate the association between intensity of tumor budding and cell proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was employed in 163 OSCC samples to detect the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 and multicytokeratin (to identify OSCC cells in tumor budding evaluation). The Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate differences in the cell proliferation index between samples with high-intensity tumor budding and samples with low-intensity or no tumor budding. In samples with high-intensity tumor budding, the Wilcoxon test was used to evaluate differences in the cell proliferation index between the budding area and the area outside the budding. The chi-square test assessed the association between cell proliferation index and intensity of tumor budding. RESULTS: The cell proliferation index was higher in samples with high-intensity tumor budding than in samples with low-intensity or no tumor budding (P < .05). Tumors with high-intensity tumor budding showed a higher cell proliferation index in the budding area than in the area outside the budding (P < .05). Finally, samples showing high-intensity tumor budding were associated with high cell proliferation index (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Cell proliferation is positively associated with intensity of tumor budding in OSCC. Moreover, in tumors showing high-intensity tumor budding, the budding area is the location of higher cell proliferation. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that tumor budding is associated with the biological behavior of OSCC.

Reproducibility, repeatability, and level of difficulty of two methods for tumor budding evaluation in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the reproducibility, repeatability, and level of difficulty of two methods for tumor budding evaluation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC): staining by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and immunostaining for multicytokeratin. METHODS: The evaluation of tumor budding was performed by three examiners in 103 samples of OSCC, using the two methods. A Likert-type scale was used to measure the difficulty in the assessment. The interexaminer agreement (reproducibility) was estimated using Fleiss's kappa and the intra-examiner agreement (repeatability) was estimated using Cohen's kappa. The agreement between the two methods was evaluated using Cohen's Kappa. The Friedman test was used to compare the three examiners' perceived levels of difficulty of assessment. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the level of difficulty of the evaluation between the two methods. RESULTS: Reproducibility by the immunostaining method for multicytokeratin was substantial, being higher than the only fair agreement by the HE. Repeatability by the HE ranged from moderate to substantial among examiners, regardless of the examiner's experience. Repeatability by the immunostaining method for multicytokeratin did not vary among examiners, showing almost perfect agreement. The agreement between the two methods ranged from fair to moderate among examiners, being lower in the less experienced examiner. All the examiners presented greater difficulty in the evaluation by the HE. CONCLUSION: In view of the unsatisfactory agreement between the two methods of tumor budding evaluation in OSCC, it is recommended that this evaluation should be performed by the immunostaining method for multicytokeratin, considering its higher reproducibility, greater replicability, and lower difficulty compared to the HE.