Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Early Detection and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors
Published on: February 16, 2024
Overestimated risk of transformation in oral lichen planus
Xinjia Cai1, Jianyun Zhang1, Heyu Zhang2
1Department of Oral Pathology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing 100081, PR China; Research Unit of Precision Pathologic Diagnosis in Tumors of the Oral and Maxillofacial Regions, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU034), Beijing 100081, PR China.
Objectives:
Oral lichen planus (OLP) was classified as an oral potentially malignant disorder due to the association with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the malignant potential of OLP has been controversial. Whether epithelial dysplasia should be differentiated from OLP and lichenoid dysplasia could be identified as a pathological entity has been the subject of debate.
Materials And Methods:
We recruited a large retrospective cohort with 3568 patients, and 10 of them developed OSCC. These cases were reviewed retrospectively to investigate association between OLP and OSCC.
Results:
In 10 cases of OSCC, three of them were primary cancers distinct from the site with OLP, two were malignant transformation of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia, and five were malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. All OSCC is not transformed from OLP. Therefore, previous insights into OLP might have overestimated its transformation risk. There may be the reasons: I. did not distinguish OLP from epithelial dysplasia, II. neglect of oral leukoplakia with dysplasia developed in the course after OLP, III. misdiagnosis in the early stage of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia.
Conclusion:
The pathological and molecular biological features of OLP differed from those of oral leukoplakia and OSCC. Strict control of the diagnostic criteria for OLP and close surveillance during the course could contribute to correctly identify the origin of OSCC and avoid overestimating the risk of OLP transformation.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
03:18Non-LTR Retrotransposons
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...