Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma: Report of two rare cases and review of literature

Abstract

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is a histologically distinct variant of SCC in the head-and-neck region it occurs most commonly in older men with a history of heavy smoking and alcohol abuse and usually presents as a high stage disease with widespread metastases and hence poor prognosis. BSCC is believed to arise from a totipotential primitive cell in the basal layer of the surface epithelium or from the salivary duct lining epithelium. BSCC is an uncommon tumor with a predilection for the upper aerodigestive tract, is a distinct variant of squamous carcinoma, due to its unique histological features and ominous clinical behavior. In the oral cavity, BSCC has a predilection for the tongue, followed by the floor of the mouth, palate, buccal mucosa, retromolar trigone and gingiva. In the oral cavity, retromolar trigone/gingiva is very rare sites and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. This paper reports an additional two cases of BSCC, one reported in the retromolar region and other reported on the gingiva.