Head and neck cancer is a major health problem. Oral cancer is increasing in Indian subcontinent mainly due to lack of hygiene, tobacco use, chewing tobacco, smoking, and many other factors. Radiation therapy is the most common form of treatment along with surgery and chemotherapy. There are 2 types of complication that occurs during and after radiotherapy, that occur because of effects on normal tissue. Radiotherapy-induced effects occur on the oral mucosa salivary glands, bone, teeth, and musculature of face and neck. These complications needs special attention for their prevention and treatment, Preradiotherapy evaluation and disease stabilization are necessary in every patient, counseling of patients before during and after radiotherapy is important to help them become aware of several oral complications and their prevention.
Teratoma of the maxilla is a rare entity. Congenital intraoral teratoma occurs in 1:4000 births. It is a benign tumor, although malignancy has been described in adults. A 10-year-old male child with this condition is described in this report. This case illustrates a huge mass on the right side of the maxilla. The mass was excised under general anesthesia. Histopathologically, it consisted of all three layers of embryonic elements with predominantly fibrous tissue. Postoperative result was uneventful and no recurrence was detected after 2 years.
Oral malignant melanoma is a rare tumor, accounting 0.8to 1.8 % of all oral malignancies. It occurs most commonly in Japanese and Negros. Radical surgery is mainstay of the treatment. Prognosis is very poor with 5 years survival rate. We present a case of malignant melanoma in a 55 years female, metastatizing to liver spleen and vertebrae.
With the scientific advancements in the management of malignant diseases, the treatment is expensive and bears high morbidity in term of oral mucositis. It is a debilitating condition and has been researched extensively for its pathogenesis and treatment. Various treatment options include barrier forming, mucosal protectants, mouth rinses, growth factors, lasers and midline-sparing procedures. Some agents are used locally while others are administered systemically. Despite the availability of a wide range of treatment options for mucositis, a cost-effective treatment is yet to be evolved.
In May, Brain Tumor Awareness Month, we are facing challenges pertaining to brain cancer and coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With no effective treatment and no vaccine currently available, the most effective means of slowing the dissemination of COVID-19 is through social distancing, crowd avoidance, appropriate quarantine, and other techniques intended to limit community exposure. However, in this ongoing pandemic era, timely treatment by surgery is critical to reduce the tumor mass inside a patient’s brain. By giving drug therapy to slow down the tumor’s progression and provide a longer survival time is utmost important. As hospitals across the country postpone elective procedures to increase the capacity for COVID-19 patients, there is a lot of uncertainty among the neuro-oncology community. Patient having multiple co-morbidities poses challenges for centers that may need access to ventilator care due to insufficient critical care facilities across the country. This crisis is straining our health care sy tem, as this viral infection continues to escalate. It is the time for the neuro-oncology team to develop a uniform and acceptable approach to the brain tumor patient. We present an approach developed by an international multidisciplinary group to provide them best possible care during this pandemic as well as reducing their chance of viral infection.
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