Oral cancer: verrucous carcinoma: practice question

A Dentistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dentistry · Oral cancer: verrucous carcinoma

Sample item

An elderly man who dips snuff has a slow-growing white, warty exophytic mass in the buccal sulcus. Biopsy shows well-differentiated epithelium with broad pushing margins. What is the typical behaviour?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Locally invasive with rare metastasis

Verrucous carcinoma is a well-differentiated variant linked to smokeless tobacco. It grows locally and rarely metastasises, so wide excision is often curative. Radiotherapy is avoided because of reports of anaplastic transformation.

Option by option

  • A. Frequent distant metastasis to the lung

    Distant spread is very uncommon.

  • B. Spontaneous regression

    It does not regress spontaneously.

  • C. Locally invasive with rare metastasis (correct)

    Correct. Local spread with rare nodal disease is typical.

  • D. Early widespread nodal metastasis

    Early nodal spread is typical of conventional carcinoma.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Dentistry question

What is the answer to this Dentistry question?

The best answer is C, Locally invasive with rare metastasis. Verrucous carcinoma is a well-differentiated variant linked to smokeless tobacco.

Why is "Frequent distant metastasis to the lung" not the answer?

Distant spread is very uncommon.

Why is "Spontaneous regression" not the answer?

It does not regress spontaneously.

Why is "Early widespread nodal metastasis" not the answer?

Early nodal spread is typical of conventional carcinoma.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Oral cancer: verrucous carcinoma in Dentistry. It grows locally and rarely metastasises, so wide excision is often curative. Radiotherapy is avoided because of reports of anaplastic transformation.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Oral cancer: verrucous carcinoma?

Learn the dental formula, eruption ages and tooth structure once, as tables. Then use the flashcards and the other Dentistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.