Oral squamous cell carcinoma of moderate differentiation category in relation to left bucco-alveolus region in a geriatric female with the habit of tobacco chewing for the past 30 years – a case report and review of literature

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa has an aggressive nature. If cancers originating from the buccal mucosa invade adjacent anatomical structures, surgical tumor resection becomes more challenging. The present case describes the surgical management of a 65-year-old woman with persistent ulceration of the mucosal membrane due to tobacco chewing habit for the past 30 years and a mouth-opening limitation of 10 mm. Radiological investigations revealed a buccal mucosa tumor that had invaded the retroantral space upward with involvement of the anterior border of the masseter muscle by the lateral part of the tumor. In this report, we present the surgical approach to access the masticator space behind the maxillary sinus.