Detection of Helicobacter pylori in oral squamous cell carcinoma using modified Giemsa stain: A new diagnostic approach.

Context: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It is mainly known to be caused by tobacco in various forms and also due to viral, fungal infection and poor oral hygiene, etc. Poor oral hygiene leads to colonization of pathogenic bacteria including Helicobacter pylori. It seems that the presence of H. pylori might be a risk factor for developing oral cancer. The successful attempt was made to detect H. pylori in diagnosed specimens of OSCC using Warthin-starry and Giemsa stains in our department. The modified Giemsa stain is the method of choice because it is sensitive, cheap, easy to perform, faster, and reproducible. Aim: The aim of this study is to detect H. pylori in various grades of OSCC using modified Giemsa stain. Subjects and Methods: Thirty cases of various grades of OSCC were selected from the archives of the department. Five-micrometer-thick paraffin-embedded tissue sections of these cases were taken and stained with modified Giemsa and were studied under ×100 magnification. Results: All the tissue sections studied were positive for H. pylori bacteria. Conclusions: Our study showed a significant presence of H. pylori in histological sections of OSCC, and it seems likely that the presence of H. pylori might be a risk factor for the developing oral lesions such as oral cancer. Early detection and eradication of H. pylori in the oral cavity, especially in high-risk patients, might prevent its harmful consequences.

Deciphering the "Collagen code" in tumor progression.

Invasion and metastasis are the fundamental properties of tumor biology and the root causes of cancer death. With the elucidation of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, it has been postulated that cancer is a disease of imbalance. It is not merely a disease of tumor cells but also the body's mismanagement of those tumor cells. Tumor microenvironment plays an important role in tumor progression via the co-evolution of tumor cells and tumor stroma. Hence, exploring the complex mechanisms of tumor progression from perspectives of tumor stroma has become a new frontier. The major component of tumor stroma, the extracellular matrix (ECM), acts as a key regulator of cell and tissue function. Conventionally, the role of ECM was considered primarily as a physical scaffold that binds cells and tissues together. However, recent studies revealed the biochemical and biophysical signaling properties of the ECM as well that affect cell adhesion and migration, tissue morphogenesis and repair, and angiogenesis and cancer. The most abundant constituent of ECM, collagen, accounts for the major function of ECM, which can be associated with increased malignancy. The present review summarizes the dynamic interplay between collagen and tumor cells. It focuses on changes in physicochemical-biological properties of collagen. A new paradigm has been formulated that collagen can no more be considered playing a passive role over which tumor progression and metastasis takes place. Rather, its active role in the promotion of tumor progression and metastasis should be explored.

Assessment of apoptotic index in various grades of oral epithelial dysplasia: A cross-sectional study.

CONTEXT: : Oral cancer is a major health problem worldwide. In cancer, the equilibrium between cell proliferation and apoptosis is disturbed. The defect in the apoptotic pathway allows cells to proliferate with genetic abnormalities. Thus, the apoptotic index (AI) can be used to assess the significance of apoptosis as a proliferative marker in oral epithelial dysplasia. AIMS: To assess the apoptotic index in various grades of epithelial dysplasia. OBJECTIVES: 1) To calculate the apoptotic index in various grades of oral epithelial dysplasia, 2) To compare the apoptotic index between various grades of oral epithelial dysplasia, 3) To predict the biologic behavior of oral epithelial dysplasia based on an apoptotic index. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional tissue analyzing study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study constituted 30 cases, previously diagnosed with various grades of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). AI was calculated as the number of apoptotic bodies/cells expressed as a percentage of the total number of cells counted in each case. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was carried out using ANOVA test. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed between mild dysplasia and severe dysplasia where P = 0.002. The mean AI was increased progressively with increasing grades of OED. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the clinical significance of apoptosis in assessing disease progression in Oral Potentially Malignant Disorder (OPMD) which may be used as a prognostic indicator in OED. This would, in turn, help in knowing the prognosis of the disease and to develop targeted drug therapy.

Nerve sheath myxoma of the oral cavity: a distinct entity.

Nerve sheath myxomas (NSM) are uncommon benign tumours of nerve sheath origin. These tumours are most often located in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of the head and neck region, but less frequently can also involve extracutaneous sites but they are rarely seen in the oral cavity. Many authors consider nerve sheath myxoma and neurothekeoma to be variants of the same tumour, though currently it has been demonstrated that both the lesions are distinct entities with different origins and unique morphological features. Herein we report a case of Nerve Sheath Myxoma on the palatal gingiva.

Fibrolipoma on a Child's Lip: A Rare Clinical Finding.

Lipoma is very common benign tumor of adipose tissue, but its presence in the oral cavity is rare. Fibrolipoma is a histological variant of lipoma that affects the buccal mucosa and nasal septum in the orofacial region and causes functional and cosmetic issues. However, this lesion has not been reported on the upper lip and may be confused with other soft tissue lesions of children. Hence, accurate histopathological examination of lipomas is important for a correct treatment plan. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of an 11-year-old boy with fibrolipoma of the upper lip.

Cd34 and Mast Cell Analysis in Normal Oral Mucosa and Different Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) remains a serious health problem worldwide. Prognosis of OSCC is poor and long term survival rate still remains below 50%. Angiogenesis or neovascularisation plays an important role in tumour progression and metastasis. Mast cells have been implicated in promoting tumour angiogenesis, especially of digestive tract, little is known in OSCC. AIM & OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between blood vessel density (BVD) and mast cell density (MCD) in different grades of OSCC. METHODS: Thirty eight paraffin blocks of different grades of OSCC were retrieved from the department and sections were stained with CD34 followed by counterstaining with toluidine blue. The slides were then analysed using Leica Software (Version 4.5). RESULTS: Mean BVD and MCD were found to be increased in OSCC as compared to normal mucosa. Increase in BVD with co-current increase in MCD was also observed in different grades of OSCC. CONCLUSION: From our study, it was concluded that, mast cells play a major role in promoting tumour angiogenesis. But, as the grade of the tumour increases, other angiogenic factors may play a more significant role than mast cells in tumour progression.

Keratoameloblastoma a rare entity: a case report.

Ameloblastoma is the second most common odontogenic tumour of oral cavity; which has several different histological variants such as follicular, plexiform, acanthomatous, granular cell, desmoplastic, basal cell, clear cell, hemangiomatous, mucous cell differentiation and keratoameloblastoma. It is common in posterior mandible and has high male predilection in the ratio of 3:1. This report presents a case of keratoameloblastoma in 65-year-old female patient in the anterior mandible region with literature review on clinical features, histopathological findings, radiological appearance and treatment options.

Teratoid cyst of the oral cavity: A rare entity.

The teratoid cyst is a rare variant of the dermoid cyst which seldom occurs in the oral cavity. If seen, they generally present as slow growing cysts of the floor of mouth, reported commonly in the 2(nd) and 3(rd) decade of life in males. Histopathologically, dermoid cyst is classified as epidermoid cyst, true dermoid cyst and teratoid cyst depending on the presence of adnexal structures and derivatives of all three germ layers. Herewith we report a rare case of teratoid cyst of the floor of the mouth, in a 2-year-old female child, which was present since birth.