Oral cancer (OC) is an uncommon malignancy in Western countries, being one of the most common cancers in some high-risk areas of the world. It is a largely preventable cancer, since most of the different risk factors identified, such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and betel nut chewing, are behaviors that increase the likelihood of the disease. Given its high mortality, early diagnosis is of utmost importance. Prevention and the anticipation of diagnosis begin with identification of potentially malignant lesions of the oral mucosa and with local conditions promoting chronic inflammation. Therefore, every lesion must be recognized promptly and treated adequately. The clinical recognition and evaluation of oral mucosal lesions can detect up to 99% of oral cancers/premalignancies. As stated by the World Health Organization, any suspicious lesion that does not subside within two weeks from detection and removal of local causes of irritation must be biopsied. Surgical biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of oral cancer. Adjunctive tools have been developed and studied to help clinicians in the diagnostic pathway, such as toluidine blue vital staining and autofluorescence imaging. In the near future other methods, i.e., identification of salivary markers of progression may help in reducing mortality due to oral cancer.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare cutaneous tumour, accounting for less than 1% of malignant tumours of the head and neck region. This tumour rarely presents metastatic disease, but has a high recurrence rate. Therefore, wide surgical excision with microscopically free margins is the therapeutic gold standard. Only five cases are described in literature of this tumour arising in the parotid region, a site that presents challenges both in achieving a wide demolition and in reconstructing the resulting defect. Here we describe two cases of DFSP arising in the parotid region that were treated surgically, achieving microscopically free margins. Reconstruction of the vast skin defect was achieved by means of a supraclavicular artery island flap, with good functional and aesthetic results.

Nowadays, many patients facing head and neck oncological surgery have a history of tissue irradiation. This represents an important risk factor for postsurgical complications, including dehiscences and fistulas. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) obtained from the patient’s blood represents an easy, fast and inexpensive method for the prevention and treatment of such complications. We present three cases of previously irradiated patients in which PRP was successfully used to prevent and treat postsurgical complications.