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Glycogen-Rich Clear Cell Squamous Cell Carcinoma Originating in the Oral Cavity

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Abstract

Clear cell squamous cell carcinoma (CCSCC) is a rare histological subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that was originally described in the skin. Here, we report a case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with a fungating ulcerative mass of the left lateral tongue extending anteriorly to the floor of the mouth, and posteriorly to the left retromolar fossa and the oropharynx. The patient had a history of SCC of the left posterior tongue that was treated with partial glossectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. Representative biopsies were obtained from the floor of the mouth, tongue and retromolar fossa. The examined biopsies showed various degrees of dysplastic surface epithelium with transition into infiltrating epithelial tumor nests and cords with clear cytoplasm and malignant cellular features. Pancytokeratin, CK5/6, and p63 were all diffusely positive. S-100, Calponin, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) were negative. PAS stain was diffusely positive and diastase labile in the tumor clear cells. Sparse areas of mucicarmine positivity were noted. Based on these findings a final diagnosis of a glycogen-rich CCSCC was given. This case represents a very rare histological variant of oral SCC, which is significant for the histological differential diagnosis of clear cell tumors of the oral cavity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to Acknowledge Dr. Robert Foss, D.D.S., and Dr. William Westra, M.D. The Johns Hopkins Hospital, for their expertise in peer reviewing this case.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland Baltimore, 650 West Baltimore Street, 7th Floor North, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Zaid H. Khoury, John R. Basile & Rania H. Younis

  2. Department of Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Amr Bugshan

  3. Department of Biomedical Dental Science, Dental College, Dammam University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Amr Bugshan

  4. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Joshua E. Lubek

  5. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    John C. Papadimitriou

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  1. Zaid H. Khoury
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zaid H. Khoury.

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No conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of retrospective study formal consent is not required. The tumor tissue and radiographic material included in the manuscript were obtained as part of the standard of care for the patient and retrospectively collected for the case report.

Informed Consent

No identifier information is included in the case report, and the study meets the waiver criteria for the institutional review board of University of Maryland Baltimore.

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Khoury, Z.H., Bugshan, A., Lubek, J.E. et al. Glycogen-Rich Clear Cell Squamous Cell Carcinoma Originating in the Oral Cavity. Head and Neck Pathol 11, 552–560 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-017-0812-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-017-0812-3

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