Although basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer worldwide, its metastatic dissemination is exceptional. Before 2012, we had a few treatment options available for metastatic or locally advanced cases. Management of these patients was complicated due to the lack of scientific data, the deterioration of a patient’s general status, the patient’s advanced age, and the presence of multiple comorbidities. The hedgehog signaling pathway is dysregulated in BCC. The exploration of this signaling pathway yielded to a major milestone in the treatment of advanced BCC. Vismodegib (GDC-0449), an oral small-molecule agent that targets the Hedgehog signaling pathway, demonstrates high levels of activity in clinical trials. It was approved in January 2012 for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic BCC. Vismodegib confirms, once again, the interest in exploring the signal transduction pathways in cancers.
Mucosal malignant melanoma of the oral cavity is an extremely rare condition. It has a poor prognosis. Here we report two typical cases of malignant melanoma. In the first case, 64 years old man developed an exophytic tumor in the hard palate. Head and neck and chest computerized tomography scan showed a large aggressive tumor of the hard palate. The patient also had multiple lung metastases and a cervical lymph node. The second case is a 73 years old woman presenting a burgeoning mass on the right palate. Facial CT reveals a malignant tumor lateralized in the right palate with ipsilateral metastatic lymph nodes. Histological with immunohistochemical studies assigned both cases to a malignant melanoma. Due to the rarity of oral malignant melanomas, case reports are a necessary source of information.
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