Abstract
Background: The Squamous cell carcinoma of the palate is rare; women are more affected than men. This study aimed to discuss the etiology, diagnostic modalities, prognosis factors, and treatment strategies.
Case: A 49-year-old woman was admitted to our department in 2019 with a chief complaint of a hard and painful mass on the right palate. The Clinical assessment revealed a palatal tumor extended to 3/4 of hard palate and part of the soft palate, with hard consistency, no mobility, cauliflower-like surface partly covered by a white pseudo-membrane, dark red-colored, and clinically negative neck. 3D CT scan of palate and maxilla revealed malignant lesion features, Cervical MRI and Chest CT revealed enlarged lymph nodes. The histopathological assessment diagnosed keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma of the right palate. Resection of the tumor and Reconstructive surgery were performed. The postoperative outcomes were simple.
Conclusion: Hepatitis B virus, local chronic inflammation were the risk factors incriminated in this case. The prognosis factors such as patient age, tumor size, lymph node involvement, bone invasion, and pathological grade influence the treatment and survival. Selective neck dissection, Ablative surgery, and Reconstruction with Submental island flap represented our management strategy for keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma of the palate.