Synchronous tumors arising in the hard palate

The concept and term field cancerization was first put forward by Slaughter et al. in 1953. Oral field cancerization implies that oral cancer does not arise as an singular cellular phenomenon but rather as an anaplastic tendency involving many cells at once and results in the multifocal development of cancer at various rates within the entire field in response to a carcinogen especially tobacco. This concept has been frequently used to explain the occurrence of multiple primary cancers and recurrences following complete excision of oral cancer. In this work, the researchers report a case of oral field cancerization in a 75-year-old man. At general anamnesi the patient did not report the presence of systemic pathologies, but he declared to be smoker and he wears a maxillary total removable dentures. At intraoral examination were visible two red ulceration lesions, the first was localized in left anterior part of hard palate while the second in the opposite part.