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Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) is a major concern of health risk in developing countries, such as India. Apart from genetic configuration, environmental and lifestyle factors, as well as poor oral hygiene, provide free radical-generating environment, which may contribute to the development of cancer through DNA damage., Materials and Methods: Here we ascertained the various oxidative stress determinants in diagnosed SCCHN patients with health risk addictions. This study further evaluated the incremental effects inflicted by these lifestyle factors on redox status. The study included 100 consenting SCCHN patients and 90 matched healthy controls. Salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), free radicals: such as reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with oxidative DNA adduct (8-OHdG) were monitored., Results: Our findings indicated altered salivary oxidant-antioxidant status in SCCHN. A substantial rise in ROS (~2.0 folds) and RNS (~1.4 folds), together with significant lowering in TAC (~1.2 folds) and GSH (~1.7 folds) was observed. The 8-OHdG levels were also found to be considerably higher (P < 0.001) in salivary cell's DNA of these patients., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate significant redox imbalance in cancer patients suggesting their paramount importance in the development of SCCHN.

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. Rhinosporidiosis has been reported from many countries but is endemic in certain parts of India and Sri Lanka. The common sites of involvement are the nose and nasopharynx followed by ocular tissue. Rhinosporidiosis is also known to involve many rare sites and may become disseminated to occur in a generalized form. Rhinosporidiosis of the parotid duct is rare and only five reported cases could be found in the literature. We report three cases of rhinosporidiosis of parotid duct presenting clinically as a parotid duct cyst. Rhinosporidiosis was diagnosed by histopathology. None of these patients had rhinosporidiosis at any other site.