---
title: "Clinical Case Discussion: Buccal Carcinoma (Oral Cavity Cancer)"
description: "A step-by-step ENT clinical case discussion on Buccal Carcinoma, covering history, examination, diagnosis, and management - ideal for MBBS and ENT students."
source: "The ENT Resident"
canonical_url: "https://www.theentresident.com/ent-notes-lectures/buccal-carcinoma-case-presentation"
categories: ["Clinical Case Presentations"]
video: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8AXSNANwc"
image: "https://media.theentresident.com/og-images/buccal-carcinoma-case-presentation.png"
---

# Clinical Case Discussion: Buccal Carcinoma (Oral Cavity Cancer)

A step-by-step ENT clinical case discussion on Buccal Carcinoma, covering history, examination, diagnosis, and management - ideal for MBBS and ENT students. Watch the full video lecture on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8AXSNANwc

## 🦷 Clinical Case Discussion: Carcinoma of Buccal Mucosa

Today, we'll have a clinical case discussion on a very common ENT presentation: **Carcinoma of Buccal Mucosa - Oral Cavity cancer.**

This case discussion format will be helpful for both undergraduates and postgraduates.

We'll go through the patient's history, discuss how history guides us to a provisional diagnosis, cover the clinical examination findings and their significance, summarize the case, arrive at a provisional diagnosis, and outline the management plan.

---

### 👤 Patient Profile

- **Age:** 65 years  
- **Sex:** Male  
- **Occupation:** Farmer  
- **Residence:** Hyderabad  

### 🗣️ Chief Complaint
- **Ulcer in the inner aspect of the right cheek** since **4 months**

---

### 📜 History of Present Illness

- Patient was apparently asymptomatic **4 months back**
- Developed an **ulcer on the inner aspect of right cheek**
- **Insidious onset**, **rapidly progressive**
- Initial size: **1 × 1 cm**
- Present size: **2 × 3 cm**
- **Initially painless**, pain started since **last 2 months**
- Associated with **loss of appetite**

> What are the differential diagnosis of ulcer in Buccal mucosa?

> What does Rapidly progressive VS Gradually progressive increase in size of buccal ulcer indicate?

> What does late onset of pain in buccal cancer indicate?

---

### ❌ Relevant Negative History (with Clinical Significance)

| Negative History Point | Clinical Significance |
| --- | --- |
| **No bleeding from lesion** | Suggests absence of surface necrosis, friable or highly vascular tumor |
| **No difficulty in opening mouth (trismus)** | No involvement of muscles of mastication, masticator space, or temporomandibular joint |
| **No history of trauma / sharp tooth** | Rules out traumatic ulcer as a cause |
| **No halitosis** | Indicates minimal necrosis and absence of secondary anaerobic infection |
| **No difficulty in chewing or speech** | Suggests buccinator, tongue, and masticator space are not involved |
| **No excessive salivation / drooling** | Oral competence intact; no significant mucosal irritation or dysphagia |
| **No recurrent ulcers / red or white patches** | No evidence of pre-existing premalignant lesion (leukoplakia / erythroplakia) |
| **No loosening of teeth** | Suggests no alveolar process or mandibular bone invasion |
| **No prior radiation exposure** | Excludes radiation-induced second primary malignancy |
| **No difficulty in tongue protrusion** | Indicates tongue muscles, floor of mouth, and pterygomandibular space not involved |
| **No dysphagia** | No posterior extension to retromolar trigone, oropharynx, or soft palate |
| **No neck swelling** | Clinically node-negative neck (N0) |
| **No weight loss** | Suggests early or localized disease; cachexia unlikely |
| **No ear or nasal complaints** | No referred otalgia (V3 involvement) or nasopharyngeal extension |
| **No cough, hemoptysis, breathlessness** | Lung metastasis unlikely |
| **No bone pain, abdominal pain, jaundice** | No evidence of distant metastasis to bone or liver |

> What is Trismus? What is it's clinical importance?

> Name the muscles of mastication.

> What are the sites of Distant metastasis in oral cavity cancer? What is the most common site amongst these?

---

### 🕰️ Past History

- No previous surgeries  
- No drug allergies  
- No family history of malignancy  

---

### 👤 Personal & Addiction History

- **Decreased appetite** for last 3 months  

### 🚬 Addiction History
- **Bidi smoking:** 8/day for **40 years**
- **Betel quid chewing:** 4/day for **45 years**
- Keeps quid in **right gingivobuccal sulcus**

> What are the carcinogens found in tobacco?

> What is the mechanism of action of carcinogenesis by Tobacco?

> What are the carcinogens found in quid contributing to oral cancer?

---

### 🦷 Local Examination (Oral Cavity)

#### Inspection
- **Single ulceroproliferative growth**
- Size: **2 × 3 cm**
- Site: **Right buccal mucosa**
- Extent:
  - Anterior: 0.5 cm from oral commissure
  - Posterior: up to first molar
  - Superior: 3 cm from upper gingivobuccal sulcus
  - Inferior: 2 cm from lower gingivobuccal sulcus
- **Averted (rolled) edges**
- **Irregular margins**
- **Floor covered with slough**

#### Palpation
- Tenderness present
- **Induration extending 0.5 cm beyond visible margins**
- Base: **firm, non-mobile**
- **Not fixed to mandible**
- Does **not bleed on touch**

---

### 🧠 Interpretation of Examination Findings

### Ulceroproliferative Growth
- Indicates **squamous cell carcinoma**

### Everted / Rolled Edges
- Due to peripheral tumor proliferation with central necrosis

### Induration
- Hallmark of malignancy
- Indicates **submucosal tumor spread**
- Determines **true tumor extent and surgical margins**

### No Fixation to Mandible
- Suggests **no bone invasion**
- Rules out **T4 disease**

> What is Edge of ulcer? What is Margin of ulcer?

> What are the Types of Edges of Ulcer? What is the mechanism behind each one of them? Give examples of each type.

> What is Floor of ulcer? What is Base of ulcer?

> What is Induration? What is the Pathology behind Induration? What is it's clinical significance?

---

## 🆚 Benign vs Malignant Ulcer

| Feature | Benign | Malignant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Edges | Sloping | Rolled / everted |
| Margins | Regular | Irregular |
| Floor | Clean | Slough, necrotic |
| Base | Soft, mobile | Hard, indurated |
| Pain | Painful early | Painless early |
| Bleeding | Rare | Common |
| Induration | Absent | Present |

> What are the Key Clinical Hallmarks of Malignant Ulcer?

> What is Field Cancerization? What is it's Clinical Implications?

> What is Synchronous VS Metachronous Tumors? What is Warren and Gates criteria?

---

### 📝 Case Summary

- 65-year-old male
- Chronic smoker and quid chewer
- Rapidly progressive ulcer in right buccal mucosa
- Ulceroproliferative lesion with:
  - Rolled edges
  - Induration
  - Slough-covered floor
- No neck nodes

---

### 🩺 Provisional Diagnosis

**Carcinoma of right buccal mucosa**, Clinical stage:** **T2N0MX (Stage II)**

>What are the points in favour of your diagnosis?

>What is the Differential Diagnosis of Buccal carcinoma? What are points in favour and against in each one of them?

> What are the Anatomical Boundaries of Buccal Mucosa?

> What is the most common site of oral cavity cancer worldwide?

> What is the most common site of oral cavity cancer in India?

> What is the TNM Staging of Oral Cavity cancer?

> What is the difference between Premalignant lesions VS Premalignant disorders? Give examples of each.

> What is Leukoplakia & Erythroplakia? Which has the highest malignant potential?

> What is Oral Submucous fibrosis? What is the Pathophysiology of Oral Submucous fibrosis?

---

### 🏨 Management Plan

Management always consists of two parts: Investigation and Treatment.

#### 🔬 Investigations

1. **Incisional biopsy**
   - From **edge of ulcer**
2. **CECT / MRI**

3. **OPG**
   - If mandibular involvement suspected
4. **USG neck**
   - Occult nodes
5. **Chest X-ray / CT**
   - Lung metastasis
6. **PET-CT**
   - Advanced / recurrent disease

> What is the purpose of doing CECT?

> Which Lymph nodes get involved in buccal carcinoma?

> What are the Features suggestive of Nodal malignancy on USG?

> What is Broder’s Grading?

---

**🩻 Treatment**

1️⃣ **Primary Tumor**

- **Wide local excision**
- **1 cm margin**
- Depth up to buccinator / periosteum

2️⃣ **Reconstruction**

- Local flaps (< 3 cm)
- Free flaps (large defects)

3️⃣ **Neck**

- **Elective supraomohyoid neck dissection**
- Levels **I–III**
- Due to 15–20% occult metastasis risk

> What surgery is done when there is cortical or medullary invasion of mandible?

> Name some local flaps and free flaps used in buccal carcinoma for reconstruction.

> Classify Neck Dissection and define each one of them.

> What are the different types of Selective Neck Dissection?

> What are the Contraindications of Neck Dissection?

> What are the Indications of Post op Adjuvant Radiotherapy?

> What is Residual Tumor Classification?

---

## About This Note

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