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Chronic oral candidiasis is generally not considered a premalignant condition. We report on two patients with carcinoma in situ and carcinoma in the soft palate, probably preceded by long lasting chronic Candida infection. The first patient was a 56-year-old woman who suffered from disturbances in the calcium and potassium metabolism and high blood pressure due to a previous goiter operation during which the parathyroids had been removed. She also suffered from bronchitis and had been smoking 12 cigarettes a day for many decades. For several years she had had more or less constant symptoms from airway infections. Increasing symptoms from the throat had developed 2 years before referral and, in this period, she had been in constant antifungal therapy with no effect on the symptoms. Objectively, the entire soft palate, uvula and the palatoglossal arches were fiery red with whitish plaques which were not removable (Fig. 1). A biopsy revealed severe dysplasia and focal carcinoma in situ Subsequently, the lesion in the soft palate was partly removed by laser surgery followed by radiation therapy over a period of 2 month. One year later there was no signs of recurrence (Fig. 4). The second patient, a 53-year-old healthy woman, was referred because of difficulties in eating due to pain in the throat which had existed for 2 years. Without any effect on the symptoms, she had had antifungal therapy for 4 weeks. The patient had been smoking 15 cigarettes a day for many years. Objectively, an area with whitish plaques and nodules on an erythematous background was found (Fig. 5).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

On the basis of IARC's Cancer in five contents (vol. V) an analysis has been made of the occurrence of oral cancer on a global basis. The highest rates for oral cancer (cancer of the vermillion border and the oral cavity) were found in Bas-Rhin in France, São Paulo in Brasil and in New Foundland in Canada. India comes in as number four. The differences between men and women are emphasized, and so is the difference between people with a white skin and those with a dark skin. In the latter groups cancer of the vermillion border is rare.