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Updated: May 20, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics
Published on: May 11, 2016
A puzzling case: SCC or not?
Susan Simpkin1, Duncan Lamont, Anthony Yung
1Department of Dermatology, Waikato Hospital, Pembroke St., Hamilton, New Zealand. susansimpkin@gmail.com
We present a 37-year-old woman who underwent extensive facial surgery for removal of multiple eruptive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-like lesions resembling invasive SCC histologically. The patient's mother had undergone numerous surgical procedures and radiotherapy for facial SCC. A review of the histology and immunohistochemistry for DNA mismatch repair proteins excluded Muir-Torre syndrome. A diagnosis of Ferguson-Smith disease (or multiple self-healing squamous epitheliomata) was suspected. Blood was sent for DNA analysis. Twelve months later, mutations of the TGFBR1 gene were demonstrated in 18 families (67 individuals) with Ferguson-Smith disease; among whom our patient and her mother were family 11.
We present a 37-year-old woman who underwent extensive facial surgery for removal of multiple eruptive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-like lesions resembling invasive SCC histologically. The patient's mother had undergone numerous surgical procedures and radiotherapy for facial SCC. A review of the histology and immunohistochemistry for DNA mismatch repair proteins excluded Muir-Torre syndrome. A diagnosis of Ferguson-Smith disease (or multiple self-healing squamous epitheliomata) was suspected. Blood was sent for DNA analysis. Twelve months later, mutations of the TGFBR1 gene were demonstrated in 18 families (67 individuals) with Ferguson-Smith disease; among whom our patient and her mother were family 11.
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