Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue associated with cinnamon gum use: A case report

✍ Scribed by William H. Westra; J. Scott McMurray; Joseph Califano; Paul W. Flint; Russel L. Corio

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 246 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0347(199808)20:5<430::aid-hed12>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

Background. Cinnamon aldehydes found in cinnamon-flavored gums can incite mucosal alterations at points of contact with the oral mucosa. These alterations may include inflammation and epithelial proliferation, but as a rule, the changes are reversible and promptly resolve when gum-chewing activity is discontinued.

Methods. The authors report a case of a 24-year-old woman who developed a squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue following persistent and prolonged exposure to cinnamon-flavored gum.

Results. Several social, clinical, and histopathologic features point to the cinnamon-flavored chewing gum as a possible causal factor in the development of the patient's oral carcinoma.

Conclusions. Prompt withdrawal of cinnamon products is encouraged in heavy gum chewers who develop cinnamon-related oral lesions. For those lesions which do not promptly resolve upon cinnamon withdrawal, diagnostic biopsy should be considered to exclude the possibility of a squamous cell carcinoma.