title: Oral squamous-cell carcinoma within a white-sponge nevus.
abstract: A 59-year-old woman had thick plaques of leukoplakia on the tongue bilaterally. The condition was initially diagnosed by biopsy as a white-sponge nevus. A second biopsy of a suspicious area on the right side showed squamous-cell carcinoma two years later. It is speculated that prednisone therapy for steroid-dependent intrinsic asthma may have caused a loss of "immunologic surveillance," which permitted development of malignancy in a previously benign condition.
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D009506:Nevus / Q000473:pathology*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D011241:Prednisone