Coppini Martina, Seminara Giuseppe, Mauceri Rodolfo, Di Fede Olga, La Mantia Gaetano, Mauceri Nicola, Cancila Valeria, Rodolico Vito, Campisi Giuseppina
Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Front Oral Health. 2025 Aug 14;6:1653210. doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1653210. eCollection 2025.
Field cancerization (FC) is a well-documented phenomenon in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), typically reported in patients with known risk habits such as tobacco and alcohol use. To date, limited evidence exists regarding FC in individuals without traditional carcinogenic exposures, as well as in those associated with chronic mechanical trauma. The study aims to report a case series of FC in patients without well-known risk habits observed in the last two years.
This study is a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Unit of Oral Medicine "V. Margiotta" of the University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone" in Palermo (Italy). Between January 2023 and February 2025, a total of 64 patients affected by OSCC were observed. All cases were histologically confirmed through biopsy. For the present study, we focused specifically on the subgroup of patients who developed synchronous and/or metachronous lesions during this period.
A retrospective analysis was conducted on eight female patients (mean age: 75.5 ± 10.3 years) diagnosed with multifocal OSCC. Three patients presented with synchronous lesions, three with metachronous lesions, and two developed both types over time. Six patients (75%) were denture wearers.
This study highlights the relevance of FC in elderly OSCC patients with no history of traditional carcinogenic exposures, except for the high prevalence of denture use, which, however, cannot be considered a clear causal factor. Long-term clinical and radiological surveillance is essential for early detection of multifocal lesions, thereby improving prognosis and patient quality of life.
场癌化（FC）是口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）中一种有充分文献记载的现象，通常在有吸烟和饮酒等已知风险习惯的患者中报道。迄今为止，关于无传统致癌暴露个体以及与慢性机械创伤相关个体中的场癌化，证据有限。本研究旨在报告过去两年中观察到的无众所周知风险习惯患者的场癌化病例系列。
本研究是在意大利巴勒莫“保罗·贾科内”大学医院“V. 马尔乔塔”口腔医学科进行的一项回顾性队列研究。在2023年1月至2025年2月期间，共观察了64例OSCC患者。所有病例均通过活检进行组织学确诊。对于本研究，我们特别关注在此期间发生同步和/或异时性病变的患者亚组。
对8例诊断为多灶性OSCC的女性患者（平均年龄：75.5±10.3岁）进行了回顾性分析。3例患者出现同步性病变，3例出现异时性病变，2例随时间发展为两种类型。6例患者（75%）佩戴假牙。
本研究强调了场癌化在无传统致癌暴露史的老年OSCC患者中的相关性，除了假牙使用的高患病率外，然而，这不能被视为一个明确的因果因素。长期的临床和放射学监测对于早期发现多灶性病变至关重要，从而改善预后和患者生活质量。
