Eradication of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia with toll-like receptor 7 agonist (topical imiquimod): a case report.

Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is an aggressive and distinct type of oral precancerous lesion characterized by warty surfaced white plaque diffusely involving oral mucosa. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. However, PVL has persistent and recurrent growth patterns, requiring multiple surgical procedures.

Mucosal Soft Tissue Lesions.

Mucosal soft tissue lesions are fairly common in the pediatric population. However, the precise prevalence is unknown. This is the result of the limited number of studies, the use of various diagnostic criteria in those studies, and the transient nature of commonly encountered lesions in this population.

SP140 inhibits STAT1 signaling, induces IFN-γ in tumor-associated macrophages, and is a predictive biomarker of immunotherapy response.

Background: Understanding the role and potential therapeutic targeting of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is crucial to developing new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for cancer immunotherapies. The epigenetic reader SP140 has emerged as a master regulator of macrophage transcriptional programs; however, its role in the signaling of TAMs and response to immunotherapy has not been investigated.

Methods: We evaluated the correlation between SP140 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) TAMs and clinical outcomes.

Molecular Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients of African Ancestry.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to better understand the complex molecular biomarkers and signatures of head and neck cancer (HNC) among Black patients and identify possible molecular changes associated with HNC disparities.

Experimental Design: Molecular subtypes and genomic changes in HNC samples from patients of African and European ancestry in The Cancer Genome Atlas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Broad Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and John Hopkins University were identified. Molecular features (genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic) associated with race and genomic alterations associated with clinical outcomes were determined.

Evaluation of compounded cidofovir, famciclovir, and ganciclovir for the treatment of feline herpesvirus ocular surface disease in shelter-housed cats.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of compounded cidofovir, famciclovir, and ganciclovir for the treatment of feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) ocular surface disease.

Animals Studied: 132 shelter-housed cats qPCR positive for FHV-1.

Procedures: A masked placebo-controlled study design was utilized.

Histone methylation antagonism drives tumor immune evasion in squamous cell carcinomas.

How cancer-associated chromatin abnormalities shape tumor-immune interaction remains incompletely understood. Recent studies have linked DNA hypomethylation and de-repression of retrotransposons to anti-tumor immunity through the induction of interferon response. Here, we report that inactivation of the histone H3K36 methyltransferase NSD1, which is frequently found in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and induces DNA hypomethylation, unexpectedly results in diminished tumor immune infiltration.

High-speed light-sheet microscopy for the in-situ acquisition of volumetric histological images of living tissue.

Histological examinations typically require the excision of tissue, followed by its fixation, slicing, staining, mounting and imaging, with timeframes ranging from minutes to days. This process may remove functional tissue, may miss abnormalities through under-sampling, prevents rapid decision-making, and increases costs. Here, we report the feasibility of microscopes based on swept confocally aligned planar excitation technology for the volumetric histological imaging of intact living tissue in real time.

Treatment of recurrent mucosal melanoma of the oral cavity with topical imiquimod and pembrolizumab achieves complete histopathologic remission.

Mucosal melanomas constitute a subtype of melanoma with less effective treatments than cutaneous melanomas. We present a case of oral mucosal melanoma that recurred despite multiple resections and adjuvant temozolomide. Treatment with topical imiquimod combined with pembrolizumab achieved remission.

Alcohol Metabolism Enriches Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cancer Stem Cells That Survive Oxidative Stress via Autophagy.

Background: Alcohol (ethanol) consumption is a major risk factor for head and neck and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). However, how ethanol (EtOH) affects SCC homeostasis is incompletely understood.

Methods: We utilized three-dimensional (3D) organoids and xenograft tumor transplantation models to investigate how EtOH exposure influences intratumoral SCC cell populations including putative cancer stem cells defined by high CD44 expression (CD44H cells).

The REASON score: an epigenetic and clinicopathologic score to predict risk of poor survival in patients with early stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a capricious cancer with poor survival rates, even for early-stage patients. There is a pressing need to develop more precise risk assessment methods to appropriately tailor clinical treatment. Genome-wide association studies have not produced a viable biomarker.

Down-regulation of the tumor suppressor miR-34a contributes to head and neck cancer by up-regulating the MET oncogene and modulating tumor immune evasion.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRs) have been shown to play an important role in tumorigenesis, including in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The miR-34 family is thought to play a role in tumor suppression, but the exact mechanism of their action in HNSCC is not well understood. Moreover, the impact of chromosomal changes and mutation status on miR-34a expression remains unknown.

MicroRNA-Based Cancer Mortality Risk Scoring System and hTERT Expression in Early-Stage Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

We have previously constructed a novel microRNA (miRNA)-based prognostic model and cancer-specific mortality risk score formula to predict survival outcome in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients who are already categorized into "early-stage" by the TNM staging system. A total of 836 early-stage OSCC patients were assigned the mortality risk scores. We evaluated the efficacy of various treatment regimens in terms of survival benefit compared to surgery only in patients stratified into high (risk score ≥0) versus low (risk score <0) mortality risk categories.

Schirmer strip wetting length varies by commercial manufacturer.

Objective: To determine whether wetting length of Schirmer tear test (STT) strips varies by commercial manufacturer of test.

Animals Studied: Ten normal female beagle cross-breed dogs.

Procedures: Schirmer tear test strips from four commercial manufacturers were used to assess wetting lengths in-vitro when exposed to a set volume of water over 1 minute.

Environmental relative humidity affects Schirmer tear test results in normal dogs.

Objective: To investigate the effects of environmental temperature and relative humidity on tear test results in dogs.

Animals Studied: 22 normal dogs.

Procedures: Routine Schirmer tear tests (STT1) and phenol red thread tests (PRTT) were administered to normal dogs in four environmental conditions with different relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T).

Generation and Characterization of Patient-Derived Head and Neck, Oral, and Esophageal Cancer Organoids.

Esophageal cancers comprise adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, two distinct histologic subtypes. Both are difficult to treat and among the deadliest human malignancies. We describe protocols to initiate, grow, passage, and characterize patient-derived organoids (PDO) of esophageal cancers, as well as squamous cell carcinomas of oral/head-and-neck and anal origin.

and Mutations Promote 4NQO-Initated Head and Neck Tumor Progression and Metastasis in Mice.

The PI3K signaling pathway is frequently mutated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), often via gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the gene. Here, we present novel genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) carrying a GOF allele (E20) alone or in combination with heterozygous - (p53) mutation with tissue-specific expression to interrogate the role of oncogenic in transformation of upper aerodigestive track epithelium. We demonstrated that the GOF mutation promoted progression of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in both E20 single mutant and E20/p53 double mutant mice, with frequent distal metastasis detected only in E20/p53 GEMM.

MicroRNA-based risk scoring system to identify early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma patients at high-risk for cancer-specific mortality.

Background: For early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), there is no existing risk-stratification modality beyond conventional TNM staging system to identify patients at high risk for cancer-specific mortality.

Methods: A total of 568 early-stage OSCC patients who had surgery only and also with available 5-year clinical outcomes data were identified. Signature microRNAs (miRNAs) were discovered using deep sequencing analysis and validated by qRT-PCR.

Stafne Bone Defect Involving the Ascending Ramus.

The Stafne bone defect (SBD) classically presents as a well-defined, radiolucent lesion in the molar-mandibular angle region beneath the level of the mandibular canal. Due in large part to this prototypical appearance, most cases of SBDs are radiographically diagnostic without the need for tissue biopsy. A diagnostic challenge may arise, however, when the SBD occurs in other locations in the mandible.

Ameloblastic Fibro-Odontoma in an Adolescent: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO) is a rare benign odontogenic tumor with the histologic features of ameloblastic fibroma (AF) but also contains enamel and dentin. It is most commonly observed in the pediatric population. Distinction between AFO and AF becomes important as ameloblastic fibromas are associated with higher recurrence rates of up to 18%, and 35% of these recurrent lesions can undergo malignant transformation to ameloblastic fibrosarcoma.

Pyogenic Granuloma in the Tongue in a Five Year Old: A Case Report.

Pyogenic granuloma, also called lobular capillary hemangioma, is a benign vascular lesion of the skin and mucous membranes. While the majority of pyogenic granulomas in the oral cavity involve the gingiva, they also infrequently present at other sites including lips, oral mucosa, palate, and tongue. We report a case of a pyogenic granuloma of the tongue in a five-year old female patient.

Renal cell carcinoma metastatic to the maxillary gingiva: A case report and review of the literature.

Tumor metastasis to the oral cavity is rare and is usually an indication of late-stage disease and poor prognosis. While, there are reports of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) metastatic to oral cavity, vast majority of them are to the jaw. Herein, we present a case of a 78-year-old woman with RCC metastasis limited to the oral soft tissue without any bone involvement.

Lingual Osseous Choristoma of the Tongue Base: Unusual Presentation of a Rare Entity.

Osseous lesions of the tongue, also referred to as osseous choristomas, are benign growths of bony tissue. These lesions are not true neoplasms but rather represent growth of normal tissue at an abnormal location. Clinically, they appear as exophytic masses of the tongue, and they are treated by surgical excision.