Sheeza Basharatover 1 year ago

Oral cavity warts all over!!

This photo shows a bunch of warts grouped together on the mucosal surface of this patient’s oral cavity. Warts (verrucae vulgaris) are common, benign epidermal lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. They can appear anywhere on the body in a variety of morphologies. HPV is the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancers, and is currently on the rise; primarily the tonsils, the base of the tongue, and a very small number of front of the mouth, oral cavity cancers. HPV16 is the high-risk type most responsible, and affects both males and females. In women, there’s a link between cervical HPV infection and cervical cancer. The diagnosis of most cutaneous and external genital warts can be made through clinical examination or with application of acetic acid and biopsy. Surgical intervention is considered when a large number of warts are present, a large area is affected, or the patient has refractory disease. Overall, physical destruction or excision has been more effective in eradicating genital warts than medical therapy, but oral warts are a little tricky due to the fact that the medications used topically to treat oral HPV should not be applied to mucosal surfaces. These medications are typically Immune response modifiers (eg, imiquimod and interferon alfa) or cytotoxic agents which includes antiproliferative drugs (eg, 5-fluorouracil) and chemodestructive or keratolytic agents (eg, salicylic acid).