Photodynamic therapy in the treatment of the right buccal mucosa verrucous carcinoma: a case report and literature review

Objective To explore the photodynamic treatment method and therapeutic effect of oral verrucous carcinoma and to provide a reference for the clinic. Methods This study follows the requirements of medical ethics. This paper summarized the photodynamic treatment of an oral verrucous carcinoma with a diameter of approximately 2.5 cm in the right buccal mucosa and retrospectively analyzed the characteristics and treatment of oral verrucous carcinoma and the photodynamic treatment of potential malignant lesions of the oral mucosa through a review of the literature. Results After four rounds of photodynamic therapy, the size of the right buccal lesion was significantly reduced. After 6 months of follow-up, the white verrucous hyperplasia of the right buccal mucosa had completely subsided, and there was no obvious scar formation. Three years after treatment, there was no recurrence of the lesion in the right buccal mucosa and no obvious scar formation in the treated area. The degree of mouth opening was 3 fingers, and there was no lymph node enlargement in the bilateral submandibular, submental or neck. The literature review shows that oral verrucous carcinoma is a rare subtype of squamous cell carcinoma with the characteristics and biological behaviors of slow growth, low malignancy, and rare metastasis. Surgery is the preferred treatment, but there are some limitations. Photodynamic therapy is a minimally invasive, repeatable treatment with mild adverse reactions. In recent years, photodynamic therapy has been gradually applied for the treatment of potential malignant disorders of the oral mucosa and early oral squamous cell carcinoma and has achieved positive results, but it has not been reported for the treatment of oral verrucous cancer. Conclusion Photodynamic therapy is a new option for nonsurgical resection of oral verrucous carcinoma.