Unexpected additional pathologies at the surgical margins of oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: There is a scarcity of literature on the presence of additional unexpected pathologies at the surgical margins of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It is quite possible that such pathologies might get overlooked because of primary focus on the malignancy at the surgical margins. With this view in mind, a retrospective observational study has been designed to re-visit the surgical margins of OSCC for the possible presence of unexpected pathologies. METHODS: Haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of 96 cases (four surgical margins in each case) of OSCC were carefully examined under a compound microscope by two oral pathologists for the presence of any additional pathology. RESULTS: Out of 96 specimens of OSCC, 76 (79.2%) cases showed the presence of accidental pathologies. The surgical margins of 20 (20.8%) cases showed no evidence of any pathology, whereas the margins of 23 (23.95%) cases were associated with more than one pathology. The most commonly observed accidental pathology was oral submucous fibrosis (40.625%), followed by leukoedema (16.675%), retention cysts (10.42%), and calcifications (7.3%). The mucous extravasation phenomenon (6.25%), minor salivary gland (MSG) inflammation (6.25%), and lichen planus (5.21%) were also observed in the surgical margins of OSCC. CONCLUSION: A significant number of accidental pathologies exist at the surgical margins of OSCC. This effect could be because of over-emphasis on the tumour status at the surgical margins, which leads to over-looking of minor pathologies.