Oral cavity cancer in two young patients with ulcerative colitis, a case report

Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are at increased risk of developing malignancies. IBD patients with oral cavity cancer may have reduced survival compared with the general population. This article describes two IBD patients, non-smokers, on long-term use of mesalazine with the development of oral cavity cancer. In IBD the clinician should be aware of possible head and neck malignancies and in case of doubt a biopsy should be performed, even in the absence of standard risk factors.

Automated summary

This article describes two cases of oral cavity cancer in non-smoking patients with long-term use of mesalazine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of head and neck malignancies in IBD patients, and perform a biopsy if there is any doubt, even in the absence of standard risk factors.