Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 30;16(1):9646.
doi: 10.4081/dr.2024.9646. eCollection 2024 Mar 12.

Giant major aphtha

Andrea E Beretta  1 , Eleonora Leoni  2 , Dario A Marletta  1 , Stefano Veraldi  1
Affiliations

Giant major aphtha

Andrea E Beretta et al. Dermatol Reports. .

Abstract

Major aphthae are usually located on the dorsum of the tongue, the mucosal surface of the lips and the palate. They are large, round or oval ulcers, with a whitish-grey bed, well-defined borders and erythematous halo. They are very often accompanied by severe pain. Major aphthae can take up to four months to heal, often with a scar. Relapses are possible. We present a case of giant major aphtha that was previously diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma.

Keywords: aphtha major; pyoderma gangrenosum; squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Wide, necrotic ulcer on the upper surface of the tongue.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mucosal section with ulceration and inflammatory infiltrate. Hematoxylin-eosin stain.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Inflammatory infiltrate mostly composed of neutrophils. Lymphocytes and neutrophils occupy the superficial and deep sub-mucosal tissue with a perivascular and interstitial pattern. Hematoxylin-eosin stain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Scully C, Bagán JV, Eisen D, et al. . Pathology of the lips. Isis Medical Media, Oxford, 2000;153.
    1. Bonerandi JJ, Beauvillain C, Caquant L, et al. . Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and precursor lesions. JEADV 2011;25:1-51. - PubMed
    1. Zhu B, Macleod LC, Kitten T, Xu P. Streptococcus sanguinis biofilm formation & interaction with oral pathogens. Future Microbiol 2018;13:915-32. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Poiraud C, Gagey-Caron V, Barbarot S, et al. . Cutaneous, mucosal and systemic pyoderma gangrenosum. Ann Dermatol Venereol 2010;137:212-5. - PubMed
    1. Vincent SD, Lilly GE. Clinical, historic, and therapeutic features of aphthous stomatitis. Literature review and open clinical trial employing steroids. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1992;74:79-86. - PubMed