Unexpected development of tongue squamous cell carcinoma after sclerotherapy for the venous malformation: a unique case report and literature review

Abstract

BackgroundSclerotherapy is a common and effective treatment for venous diseases, including venous malformations (VMs), which are common vascular anomalies in the oral and maxillofacial regions. However, the safety of sclerotherapy has not been fully elucidated. Occasionally, patients who underwent sclerotherapy may present diverse but minor side effects such as erythema, swelling, pain, tenderness, hyperpigmentation, skin ulceration and necrosis.Case presentationHere we report a unique case of a 65-year-old female patient presented with an original VM lesion on the right side of the tongue. Intralesional sclerotherapy and followed surgical resection resulted in major remission of the original lesion, without recurrence during a 3-year follow-up. However, two years later, the patient was again referred to us for a painful mass on the right side of the tongue that gradually enlarged for 1 month. The mass was biopsied under local anesthesia after complete systematic examination, and the result indicated a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Then, the patient underwent right neck dissection, extensive resection of the SCC, reconstruction of the defect with forearm flap, microvascular anastomosis, and repair of the forearm defect with free abdomen skin graft.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to document the development of oral SCC after sclerotherapy for VM, underscoring the need for long-term follow-up.Virtual slidesThe virtual slides for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1897394831087742.

Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate Sclerotherapy for Venous Malformation of the Tongue: A Single-Center Experience

“…15 An unusual case of development of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue after sclerotherapy for the VM has been reported. 16 The published literature on sclerotherapy of tongue VMs are part of a spectrum among VMs in broader locations such as the head and neck or isolated case reports. 15,17 There is need for prospective studies on sclerotherapy of the tongue with long-term follow-up.…”

Complications of sclerotherapy for 75 head and neck venous malformations

“…Most earlier studies applied ethanol sclerotherapy and concentrated on treatment outcome, reporting complications only descriptively. Most adverse effects of sclerotherapy appear during or soon after treatment but few case reports of possible long-term complications exist [44]. In addition, the definition of a treatment complication in sclerotherapy remains ambiguous; some studies consider recovering, local skin and mucous ulcerations or extensive swelling as complications, whereas others consider these to be acceptable treatment side-effects.…”

Obovatol inhibits the growth and aggressiveness of tongue squamous cell carcinoma through regulation of the EGF‑mediated JAK‑STAT signaling pathway

“…Oral cancer is characterized by high incidence and mortality rates in developing countries, and is the 11th most common cancer in the world (1). Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common oral malignancy with different histopathological symptoms and etiopathogenesis of tumorigenesis (2,3). Epidemiological data have indicated alterations in the demographic profile of patients suffering from TSCC (4).…”