Oral squamous cell carcinoma in a patient treated with long-term pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for recurrent ovarian cancer

Abstract

We present a case of a woman who developed an oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) after being treated for a recurrent ovarian carcinoma with subtotal gastric resection and adjuvant pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). She received six cycles of PLD induction and maintenance therapy, which was continued for 5 years. She was free from disease at the following visits but 3 years later she developed SCC of her left inferior edentulous gums. The patient was negative for human papillomavirus and had never smoked in her life or had a history of alcohol use or any other environmental risk factors. PLD is known to accumulate in eccrine glands of the hands and the feet and in the oral mucosa, therefore causing skin toxicity and mucositis. It is conceivable that this specific biodistribution to the oral mucosa may be responsible for the onset of SCC.