Very early cytological and DNA-cytometric diagnosis of in situ carcinoma in an immunosuppressed liver transplant recipient.
BACKGROUND
We describe a patient with an in situ carcinoma with the clinical presentation of an erythroplakia of the tongue in an area where DNA-aneuploidy was detected by means of exfoliative cytology (EC) and DNA-image-cytometry 32 months before.


METHODS
Brush- and scalpel biopsies were obtained from a suspicious lesion of the right border of the tongue prior to scalpel biopsy. After Feulgen restaining of the specimens on glass slides, nuclear DNA-contents were measured using a TV image analysis system.


RESULTS
A small reddish lesion of the tongue was diagnosed as malignant through EC and DNA-image-cytometry, whereas the synchronous histology from the same area showed only mild dysplasia. A subsequent scalpel biopsy 32 months after the first examination showed an in situ carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-invasive brush biopsies are of great importance for the very early identification of mucosal areas with a high risk for malignant transformation through cytological and DNA-cytometric examination.
Maraki
D
D
Department of Oral Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany. dimitra.m@tiscali.de
Hengge
U R
UR
Becker
J
J
Boecking
A
A
D000782:Aneuploidy; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004919:Erythroplasia / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm