Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Palate: A Case Report

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common neoplastic tumor occurs in the oral cavity. SCC arising from maxillary alveolus/hard palate is rare. Anatomical structure of the palate assumed to be the cause of less incidence of SCC in the hard palate compared to other areas of the oral cavity. The diagnosis of cancer in these regions is usually ulcerative and invasive to the underlying bone in the early stages of the disease. This article aimed to report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the palate. A 36 years old male patient presenting with a mass at his hard palate extended to anterior site of maxilla 3 months before admission. The histopathology examination revealed a well-differentiated SCC of the hard palate. The patient was treated with segmented resection of maxilla with frozen section evaluation intra-operatively continue with chemotherapy. The mucosa of the palate covered by keratinizing stratified squamous epithelium is thought to be the reason for the decreased of squamous cell carcinoma in this site. Due to the rarity of this tumor site, the evolvement of an evidence-based protocol regarding treatment is debatable. Pathological and molecular modality has shown to have a good diagnostic and therapeutic effect in treating SCC in oral cavity. SCC at hard palate is an uncommon case. Treatment for this case is mostly a combination of surgery and adjunctive therapy to increase a survival rate. Adequate surgical margins can improve the results.