Undifferentiated carcinoma of the oral tongue treated with cetuximab: A case report

Sakamoto,Yuki; Yanamoto,Souichi; Adachi,Masaki; Tsuda,Shoma; Furukawa,Kohei; Naruse,Tomofumi; Umeda,Masahiro

doi:10.3892/mco.2019.1808

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the oral tongue treated with cetuximab: A case report

Authors:
- Yuki Sakamoto
- Souichi Yanamoto
- Masaki Adachi
- Shoma Tsuda
- Kohei Furukawa
- Tomofumi Naruse
- Masahiro Umeda
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Affiliations: Department of Clinical Oral Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852‑8588, Japan
Published online on: February 4, 2019 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2019.1808
Pages: 446-450

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Abstract

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the oral cavity is a rare and possibly fatal malignant neoplasm. We present here a case of undifferentiated carcinoma of the oral tongue, which responded well to chemotherapy with cisplatin, 5‑fluorouracil, and cetuximab. A 59‑year‑old man was referred to our hospital for a large tumor of the tongue. Physical examination revealed an ulcerative tumor, approximately 50 mm in diameter, on the right edge of the tongue and swelling of multiple cervical lymph nodes; therefore, the clinical diagnosis was tongue cancer (T4aN2bM0). The histological diagnosis from a biopsy specimen was undifferentiated carcinoma; we tested the sample for human papilloma virus immunoreactivity, which was positive. The patient then underwent chemotherapy with cisplatin, 5‑fluorouracil and cetuximab. The tumor's size decreased markedly after two courses of chemotherapy, but the treatment was stopped due to the patient' various mental problems and pneumonia; he died 6 months after the initial visit. Our encounter with this patient suggests that cetuximab treatment is a good option for HPV‑positive undifferentiated carcinoma of the oral tongue.

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