A case report of angiosarcoma of the tongue: A diagnostic dilemma at presentation

Rationale

Angiosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumor arising from vascular endothelial cells. This is an aggressive malignancy associated with poor prognosis. Angiosarcoma in the head and neck is exceedingly rare, accounting for less than 4 % of tumors.[1].

Patient Concern

We report a unique case of angiosarcoma involving the tongue underlying the diagnostic conundrum and pointers towards an accurate diagnosis.

Take-away lesson

Due to rarity of the disease, consensus on optimal treatment approach is lacking and multicenter prospective studies would be helpful to set clinical guidelines.

Actinomycotic osteomyelitis of palate masquerading periapical pathology: A rare case report

Osteomyelitis is an infection that is challenging to manage due to the poor vascularization of bone that favors the proliferation of microorganisms. We report a case of osteomyelitis occurring in endodontically treated teeth in the maxillary palatal region. Clinically and radiographically, it was initially diagnosed as osteomyelitis and was treated accordingly with antibiotics for 1 year with no reported healing. Later, biopsy was done and the findings were consistent with that of chronic osteomyelitis in association with infection by Actinomyces organisms. Thus, the case highlights the rare occurrence of actinomycotic osteomyelitis in maxilla and the importance of biopsy and histopathology which will help in correct diagnosis and rapid resolution through appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Metastasis: To and fro

Cancer is one of the most life threatening diseases afflicting mankind. Oral carcinogenesis is a multifactorial process involving numerous genetic events that alter normal functions of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. These changes lead to a cell phenotype with increased cell proliferation, with loss of cell cohesion, and infiltration of adjacent tissue thus causing distant metastasis. The fact that cancer patients might develop metastasis after years or even decades from diagnosis of the primary tumor makes the metastatic process even more complex and the disease more deadly. The promise of this article is to enhance the understanding on molecular mechanisms underlying metastasis and provide a better approach towards development of novel therapeutic treatment modalities.