Unusual presentation of primary mandibular gingival squamous cell carcinoma in young male: A case report

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is usually considered a disease of older people. Recently, there is a change in the occurrence of such lesions in young patients and lacking the established risk factors. CASE REPORT: A 21-year-old male reported with an innocuous gingival growth over lower incisors since a month. Within 15 days he noticed another gingival growth in same region lingually. The growths were mildly tender with no suppuration. The associated teeth were non-mobile and vital. The radiographic findings were insignificant. An excisional biopsy was performed under local anesthesia. The stained H and E section showed a hyper-parakeratinized stratified squamous surface epithelium with underlying connective tissue with collagen fibers, fibroblasts, blood vessels and areas of dense chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate. Epithelium exhibited features of dysplasia. There was a breach in the continuity of the basement membrane and the malignant epithelial cells were seen invading the connective tissue in form of thin cord. CONCLUSION: The histopathological study confirmed the diagnosis of well differentiated SCC. Oral SCC is not a disease of the elderly anymore. We also reviewed the literature of SCC in young patients. Thus biopsy is mandatory for any non-resolving gingival growth.