Oral mucosa cancerization is a process of malignant transformation, which has been widely discussed in the last 60 years. Malignant tumors of the oral cavity are often associated with large areas of histopathological changes in the mucosal epithelium, so that, despite the apparently good results of the treatment of primary malignant tumors in this region, there is a high probability of developing a second primary tumor in the upper aerodigestive tract. This misfortune is due to the accumulation of genetic changes initiated by prolonged action of carcinogens (chronic smoking and chronic alcohol abuse) on all mucous membranes of the territory, once known that the carcinogenic process is conducted in several stages. The term “oral field cancerization” (originally proposed by Slaughter) refers to several aspects, including: 1) oral cancer forms in multiple areas of premalignant lesions, 2) the area of abnormal tissue (from a molecular view) surrounding the initial malignant tumor, 3) oral malignant tumor formed by coalescence of several independent lesions, 4) genetic changes in adjacent mucosa persist even after radical excision of the original tumor, which would explain the appearance of a second primary tumor or local recurrence. Good command of oral field cancerization requires identifying of the markers for an early detection of oral carcinoma, finding opportunities against the development of a second primary tumor or ways to delay tumor development. We present the clinical case of a 64 year-old male patient, diagnosed with a second malignancy of the head and neck segment affecting the left side of the oropharynx, after eight years from the diagnosis and complex treatment of a right mouth floor squamous cell carcinoma, noting that he never gave up smoking or alcohol abuse.
Keywords:- field cancerization
- multiple primary tumors
- oral carcinoma.