Field cancerization of oral cavity: a case report and its clinical implications

Résumé

In 1953, Slaughter et al. proposed the concept of field cancerization when studying the presence of histologically abnormal tissue surrounding oral squamous cell carcinoma. It was observed that all of the epithelium beyond the boundaries of tumor is submitted to histological changes and were found to have more than one independent area of malignancy. In conclusion, the mucosa undergoes a change, perhaps due to carcinogen exposure and is therefore more susceptible to the development of many foci of malignant transformation. These observations help to explain the high incidence of recurrence, despite excision of tumor or other therapies. So, diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer should not only be focused on the lesion, but also on the field from which it developed. In this article, we emphasize on the concept of field cancerization, its clinical implications by presenting a clinical case.