ADVANCED STAGE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE MAXILLA AND OROPHARINX

We report a case of late diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma in an 88-year-old woman with a history of chewing and smoking tobacco for 77 years. The patient attended the urgency clinic of the authors’ institution complaining of pain related to a lesion on the maxilla with a 1-year duration. Clinical examination revealed a sessile, ulcerated nodule, red-white in color, extending from the maxilla to the oropharynx, affecting the hard palate and right alveolar bone crest. The diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma was made based on an incisional biopsy specimen, and the patient was referred to a cancer center. Palliative assistance was the only possible approach and the patient died after 4 months. Late diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma is usually fatal. The authors discuss the challenges of the public health system and the effect of public access for early diagnosis in a continental country like Brazil.