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Spring, 2004The Spring issue of E-PIE and April’s Case of the Month are dedicated to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)—an aggressive malignant epithelial neoplasm that claims many lives annually in the USA and worldwide. Oral SCC presents in a manner that is consistent enough to guide the dental practitioners to a diagnosis with a visual examination. The April Case of the Month discusses the risk factors associated with the development of oral SCC. These risk factors are further covered under the News in Brief and Clinical Case Discussion sections of this newsletter. Early detection is the key to a good prognosis for oral SCC—with an early diagnosis, the five-year survival rate increases dramatically. The Diagnostic Tests section of this issue covers an adjunct test that helps clinicians better identify cancerous changes. The portion on the pitfalls of early histological diagnosis of oral epithelial dysplasia is written to help clinicians be more involved in the interpretation of pathology reports. |