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Congenital epulis is a rare tumor; when voluminous and ulcerated, appearance can generate concern. Nevertheless, it is a benign lesion that is easily treated with surgery. This is a retrospective study, with the presentation of 2 cases treated by the same team from 2016 to 2020 and a bibliographic review (PubMed and Elsiever). This surgical team is based in Buenos Aires, working in the private medical system. Congenital epulis is an infrequent, benign tumor affecting females predominantly, appearing at birth on the alveolar median ridge of the maxilla. Its pathogenesis is uncertain. Voluminous tumors interfere with feeding, but respiratory interference is exceptional. Histologically, this tumor is similar to the granular cell tumor but has different clinical characteristics and Periodic Acid Schiff stain. Prenatal diagnosis with ecographic or magnetic resonance imaging is ideal; if undiagnosed prenatally, clinical diagnosis is done based on typical features. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Vertical mandibular invasion of lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma (LGSCC) determines the method of resection, which significantly affects the patient's quality of life. Therefore, in mandibular invasion by LGSCC, it is extremely important to monitor progression, specifically whether invasion is limited to the cortical bone or has progressed to the bone marrow. This retrospective study aimed to identify the diagnostic and predictive parameters for mandibular invasion, particularly vertical invasion, to enable appropriate selection of the method of mandibular resection. Of the patients who underwent surgery for LGSCC between 2009 and 2017, 64 were eligible for participation in the study based on tissue microarrays (TMA) from surgical specimens. This study analyzed morphological features using computed tomography (CT), and metabolic characteristics using maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), peak value of SUV (SUVpeak), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of proteins, including parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), E-cadherin, and programmed cell death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate logistic regression analysis with the forward selection method. The present study showed that MTV (≥2.9 cm3) was an independent diagnostic and predictive factor for positivity of mandibular invasion. Additionally, TLG (≥53.9 bw/cm3) was an independent diagnostic and predictive factor for progression to bone marrow invasion. This study demonstrated that in addition to morphological imaging by CT, the volume-based parameters of MTV and TLG on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography were important for predicting pathological mandibular invasion in patients with LGSCC. A more accurate preoperative diagnosis of vertical mandibular invasion would enable the selection of appropriate surgical procedure for mandibular resection., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

A newborn girl with histologically confirmed epulis presented with a 2.6-cm mass protruding from her mouth. An ultrasound study performed in antenatal week 25 was unremarkable. Postnatal ultrasound showed a mass, hyperechoic centrally, hypoechoic peripherally, containing crowded branching vessels. MRI revealed a nonenhancing gingival mass exhibiting an isointense rim on T1-weighted imaging and a low-intensity rim on T2-weighted sequences. MRI better defined its gingival origin and lack of local extension. A gingival solid mass in a newborn with branching vessels and a peripheral rim on imaging may suggest congenital epulis.

Thallium-201 (201Tl) is widely used in the diagnosis of malignant tumours. However, its use in predicting the response to radiation therapy for head and neck cancer has not been established. Nineteen patients with histologically proven head and neck cancer were studied. 201Tl single photon emission tomographic (SPET) images were obtained 15 min (early) and 4 h (delayed) post-injection of the radionuclide. For a semi-quantitative assessment, regions of interest were drawn over the lesions and normal soft tissue. Lesion-to-normal tissue uptake ratios of 201Tl activity were measured from mean counts-per-voxel obtained on both the early and delayed scans, representing the early index (EI) and delayed index (DI) respectively. Subsequently, a retention index (RI) was calculated using the formula: RI = (DI - EI) x 100/(EI). The patients were classified into two groups according to the effect of radiotherapy: a partial response or complete response group (PR-CR group) and a no change group (NC group). In the analysis of primary lesions, both the delayed and retention indexes of the PR-CR group were significantly higher than those of the NC group. However, the early index was not significantly different between the two groups. In the metastatic lymph nodes, only the retention index was significantly different between the two groups. Our results demonstrate that 201Tl SPET and a 201Tl index can be used to predict the response to radiotherapy for primary head and neck cancer and lymph node metastases. The retention index is a useful parameter for estimating the effects of radiotherapy.