“Curette technique” and FiSH analysis for the assessment of oral field cancerization

BACKGROUND: As tumorigenesis is a multi-step process driven by an accumulation of genetic changes, oral field cancerization still represents a valid theory for the development of recurrences and second primary tumors in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). The aim of this preliminary study was to assess and validate the use of Scraping technique in association with FISH analysis as an early detection method for a specific chromosome 3q26.3 amplicon in mucosal sites that were considered clinically normal adjacent to OSCCs, keeping in mind the concept of oral field cancerization. METHODS: Eleven patients with OSCCs were included in the study. During surgical intervention 4 microbiopsies in clinically normal tissue adjacent to the tumoral lesion were taken by curette technique. The collected samples were sent for FISH analysis with a 3q26.3 region probe. RESULTS: In three patients genetic abnormalities in 3q26.3 were identified. Two of the three patients that presented positivity to FISH analysis had both risk factors (smoke and alcohol), were male and were the youngest in the study population. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the curette technique in combination with FISH to detect copy number amplification of 3q26.3 could represent a valuable tool for the assessment of oral field cancerization.