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Background: The Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue (TSCC) is the most frequent cancer of oral cavity often characterized by poor prognosis. Conventional therapies are not very efficient and often may cause serious side effects. In this context, introduction of natural substances as possible adjuvant in the treatment and prevention of cancer is becoming a relevant topic. In fact, curcumin has been used for decades in Chinese traditional medicine for its beneficial effects. Curcumin has anticancer properties in many tumors however, its action on the tongue carcinoma is not entirely clear and many other investigations are necessary. Objective: Curcumin seems to be a good adjuvant in the treatment of head and neck tumors. However, these studies are generic and there are not many specific studies on TSCC, the most frequent and most aggressive cancer of the head-neck region. Our goal is to demonstrate its effectiveness also for TSCC. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the effects of curcumin on TSCC cells using different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 µM) and 3 different treatment times (24, 48 and 72 hours). The inhibition of adhesion, proliferation, viability, migration and apoptosis was studied. Results: IC50 value of curcumin is about 10 µM and there have been inhibitory effects even for treatments at low concentrations. Curcumin reduces migration and progression of TSCC cells and it promotes apoptosis and inhibits tumorigenesis. Conclusions: These results suggest the possible use of curcumin as an anti-cancer agent in TSCC. However, in vivo studies are needed to confirm these effects and overcome its low bioavailability.

Lipomas are common benign soft tissue neoplasms of mature adipose tissue. Most of lipomas develop in the subcutaneous tissues but deeper tissues may be involved as well; the oral cavity is not commonly affected. The overall incidence in the oral cavity is thought to be between 1% and 4.4% of all benign oral lesions. Oral lipomas can occur in various anatomic sites including the major salivary glands, buccal mucosa, lip, tongue, palate, vestibule, and floor of mouth. Although benign in nature, their progressive growth may cause interference with speech and mastication due to tumour's dimension. The present report shows the case of a 58-year old female who presented with a large intraoral lipoma.