Oral squamous cell carcinoma in a patient with keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome: a rare case

Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome is a rare form of ectodermal dysplasia with significant visual and auditory impairment. Pathogenesis involves a mutation in the GJB2 gene, which encodes connexin-26, a protein in the epithelial gap junctions thought to be involved in the differentiation of ectodermally derived tissues. Affected patients are also at increased risk for the epithelial malignancies. To our knowledge, nearly 100 cases of KID syndrome, including 19 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) complications, have been reported worldwide. We report here a patient with KID syndrome who developed an ulcerative oral lesion causing him significant discomfort; he was subsequently diagnosed with oral SCC. We review the clinical presentation and symptomatology, including those affecting the oral cavity for this syndrome and highlight the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and life-long screening aimed at prevention of the evolving complications.