Scleroderma Types Systemic Symptoms Dental

Tongue and Oral Cancers in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)

Overview of Tongue and Oral Cancer

Mouth sores or lumps that don't naturally resolve in two weeks should be examined by a doctor. Due to increased risk for oral cancers, people who have diabetes or systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) should be vigilant about dental hygience and have regular dental exams. Always consult your doctor for any sore that does not heal, including mouth sores. (Also see Scleroderma Dental Involvement, What is Scleroderma?, Types of Scleroderma, Systemic Sclerosis and Sjogren's Syndrome)

Cancers of the Oral Mucosa. Immune defects may predispose to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), especially lip cancer. OSCC is also now being reported with increased frequency in association with diabetes and systemic sclerosis. Medscape. (Also see Diabetes, and Cancer and Scleroderma)

Tongue and Oral Cancer in Systemic Sclerosis

Unfortunately, tongue and oral cancer are more common in systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) patients. This means that all scleroderma patients should have regular dental exams and promptly report any mouth sore or lump that does not go away in a few weeks.

Cancers of the Oral Mucosa. Immune defects may predispose to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), especially lip cancer. OSCC is also now being reported with increased frequency in association with diabetes and systemic sclerosis. Crispian Scully, MD. eMedicine.04/27/10. (Also see Cancer and Scleroderma, and Diabetes)

Increased incidence of carcinoma of the tongue in patients with systemic sclerosis. There is a highly significant increase in the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in patients with SSc. A remarkable observation was that all patients within this cohort who developed oral cancer had the diffuse subset of systemic sclerosis (dSSc). The Journal of Rheumatology. (Also see Cancer and Scleroderma)

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