Factors predicting malignant transformation in oral potentially malignant disorders among patients accrued over a 10-year period in South East England

Recurrence and malignant transformation rates of high grade oral epithelial dysplasia over a 10 year follow up period and the influence of surgical intervention, size of excision biopsy and marginal clearance in a UK regional maxillofacial surgery unit

OBJECTIVES

To determine the overall recurrence rate (RR) and malignant transformation rate (MTR) of high grade oral mucosal epithelial dysplasias (HGOED).

MATERIALS & METHODS

A clinicopathological review of records of patients diagnosed with a unifocal HGOED between 2004 and 2016 on incisional biopsy who then underwent excision. The mean duration of follow-up was 47.7 months (±29.9 SD).

RESULTS

Full demographic, historical and histopathological data were available for 120 patients. Six were lost to follow-up after excisional biopsy. Invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was present in 19 (18.3%) excisions. HGOED affected the lateral and ventral tongue in 58% of patients. Fourteen (11.7%) were not treated surgically but kept under surveillance. The overall RR was 34.7% (33 patients) and MTR 17.8% (17 patients). Four of the 14 (28.6%) patients who had not had the HGOED excised developed SCC, by contrast to the 13 of the 106 (12.3%) who had been treated. RR was significantly associated with positive excision margins (p = 0.007; OR = 3.6) and a clinical presentation of erythroplakia (p = 0.023; OR = 1.5). MTR was significantly associated with age (p = 0.034), clinical appearance (p = 0.030), site (p = 0.007), treatment received (p = 0.012) and positive excision margins (p = 0.007). The mean time for recurrence to develop was 62 months (±31.5 SD) (range 22-144 months), that for malignant transformation was 50 months (±32.5 SD) (range 8-97 months).

CONCLUSION

Patients with HGOED require follow-up for at least 10 years after treatment. Younger age, homogeneous clinical appearance, complete excision, a larger excision specimen and clear margins all improve prognosis.

Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident lesions

BACKGROUND

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of malignancy of the oral cavity, and is often proceeded by oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). Early detection of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (oral cancer) can improve survival rates. The current diagnostic standard of surgical biopsy with histology is painful for patients and involves a delay in order to process the tissue and render a histological diagnosis; other diagnostic tests are available that are less invasive and some are able to provide immediate results. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2015.

OBJECTIVES

Primary objective: to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of index tests for the detection of oral cancer and OPMD, in people presenting with clinically evident suspicious and innocuous lesions.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE

to estimate the relative accuracy of the different index tests.

SEARCH METHODS

Cochrane Oral Health's Information Specialist searched the following databases: MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 20 October 2020), and Embase Ovid (1980 to 20 October 2020). The US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register (ClinicalTrials.gov) and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were also searched for ongoing trials to 20 October 2020. No restrictions were placed on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases. We conducted citation searches, and screened reference lists of included studies for additional references.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We selected studies that reported the diagnostic test accuracy of the following index tests when used as an adjunct to conventional oral examination in detecting OPMD or oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: vital staining (a dye to stain oral mucosa tissues), oral cytology, light-based detection and oral spectroscopy, blood or saliva analysis (which test for the presence of biomarkers in blood or saliva).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance. Eligibility, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by at least two authors, independently and in duplicate. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2). Meta-analysis was used to combine the results of studies for each index test using the bivariate approach to estimate the expected values of sensitivity and specificity.

MAIN RESULTS

This update included 63 studies (79 datasets) published between 1980 and 2020 evaluating 7942 lesions for the quantitative meta-analysis. These studies evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of conventional oral examination with: vital staining (22 datasets), oral cytology (24 datasets), light-based detection or oral spectroscopy (24 datasets). Nine datasets assessed two combined index tests. There were no eligible diagnostic accuracy studies evaluating blood or salivary sample analysis. Two studies were classed as being at low risk of bias across all domains, and 33 studies were at low concern for applicability across the three domains, where patient selection, the index test, and the reference standard used were generalisable across the population attending secondary care. The summary estimates obtained from the meta-analysis were: - vital staining: sensitivity 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79 to 0.90) specificity 0.68 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.77), 20 studies, sensitivity low-certainty evidence, specificity very low-certainty evidence; - oral cytology: sensitivity 0.90 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.94) specificity 0.94 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.97), 20 studies, sensitivity moderate-certainty evidence, specificity moderate-certainty evidence; - light-based: sensitivity 0.87 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.93) specificity 0.50 (95% CI 0.32 to 0.68), 23 studies, sensitivity low-certainty evidence, specificity very low-certainty evidence; and - combined tests: sensitivity 0.78 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.94) specificity 0.71 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.84), 9 studies, sensitivity very low-certainty evidence, specificity very low-certainty evidence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

At present none of the adjunctive tests can be recommended as a replacement for the currently used standard of a surgical biopsy and histological assessment. Given the relatively high values of the summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity for oral cytology, this would appear to offer the most potential. Combined adjunctive tests involving cytology warrant further investigation. Potentially eligible studies of blood and salivary biomarkers were excluded from the review as they were of a case-control design and therefore ineligible. In the absence of substantial improvement in the tests evaluated in this updated review, further research into biomarkers may be warranted.

Malignant Transformation Rate of Non-reactive Oral Hyperkeratoses Suggests an Early Dysplastic Phenotype

The presence of epithelial dysplasia (ED) in oral leukoplakia is the single most important predictor of malignant transformation (MT). The majority of leukoplakias, however, do not show evidence of ED and yet MT of these lesions is well-recognized. These lesions have been referred to as "hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia, no dysplasia," "keratosis of unknown significance" and "hyperkeratosis, not reactive (HkNR)." This study evaluates the MT rate of such leukoplakias. A literature review was performed to identify cohort studies on leukoplakias where (1) there was a recorded histopathologic diagnosis, (2) cases of "hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia, no dysplasia" comprised part of the cohort, and (3) follow-up information was available. There were 9,358 leukoplakias, of which 28.5% exhibited ED while 37.7% consisted of HkNR. Follow-up ranged from 15 to 73 months. The incidence of MT in leukoplakia exhibiting HkNR was 4.9%, compared to 15.3% for ED. Among oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) with previously biopsied, site-specific precursor lesions, 55.7% arose from ED/carcinoma in situ and 28.0% arose from HkNR. Leukoplakia exhibiting HkNR has a substantial MT rate, similar to that of mild ED, and must be recognized and managed appropriately to reduce oral SCC incidence.

Targeting the genetic landscape of oral potentially malignant disorders has the potential as a preventative strategy in oral cancer

This study reviews the molecular landscape of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). We examine the impact of tumour heterogeneity, the spectrum of driver mutations (TP53, CDKN2A, TERT, NOTCH1, AJUBA, PIK3CA, CASP8) and gene transcription on tumour progression. We comment on how some of these mutations impact cellular senescence, field cancerization and cancer stem cells. We propose that OPMD can be monitored more closely and more dynamically through the use of liquid biopsies using an appropriate biomarker of transformation. We describe new gene interactions through the use of a systems biology approach and we highlight some of the first studies to identify functional genes using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. We believe that this information has translational implications for the use of re-purposed existing drugs and/or new drug development. Further, we argue that the use of digital technology encompassing clinical and laboratory-based data will create relevant datasets for machine learning/artificial intelligence. We believe that therapeutic intervention at an early molecular premalignant stage should be an important preventative strategy to inhibit the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma and that this approach is applicable to other aerodigestive tract cancers.

Lichenoid dysplasia is not a distinct pathological entity

OBJECTIVES

Oral Lichenoid Dysplasia (OLD) is a controversial histological term applied to lesions that display features of oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). In this study we investigated the molecular profiles of OLD, OLP and OED to determine whether OLD exists as a distinct pathological entity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Samples from patients presenting with lesions diagnosed histologically as OLP, OLD or OED underwent RNA sequencing followed by differential gene expression, functional enrichment and network analysis, sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis, and immune cell phenotypic estimation.

RESULTS

Unsupervised clustering demonstrated a group of genes with high expression in OLP and OLD, and low expression in OED, predominantly involved in inflammatory processes. Many genes were significantly differentially expressed between either OLD or OLP and OED, but few between OLD and OLP. Functional enrichment showed significant pathways and ontologies related to inflammatory signalling and immune response between OLD or OLP and OED. Broad commonality was found between OLP and OLD in upregulation of specific immune system pathways. Classifying models discriminated histologically diagnosed OLD from OED based upon molecular data alone. Bioinformatic profiling showed that immune cell populations in OLP and OLD were consistent, and distinct from OED.

CONCLUSION

Molecular data shows that OLD is not a distinct pathological entity. Its transcriptomic and immunophenotypic profile is similar to OLP and distinct from OED. We recommend that oral lichenoid dysplasia not be used as a distinct pathological entity. Our data further supports exclusion of dysplasia in diagnosis of OLP.

Evaluation of oral potentially malignant disorders with autoflorescence, reflectance spectroscopy and vital staining and their correlation with histopathology - Hospital based prospective study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate diagnostic efficacy of Identafi® and toluidine blue in screening of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMDs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty nine patients (63 lesions) with OPMDs visiting Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Science (BPKIHS) were included in the study. After thorough history and oral examination, screening was done by Identafi® followed by toluidine blue staining. Then incisional biopsy under local anesthesia was performed from the site showing positive change followed by histopathological examination.

RESULTS

The overall sensitivity and specificity of Identafi®^'s violet light was 73% and 46.2%. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Identafi®^'s green-amber light were 78.4% and 15.4% respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity of toluidine blue were 51.4 and 84.6 respectively. A statistically-significant association was observed between the toluidine blue and histopathology results, (p = 0.04), p value set at ≤ 0.05.

CONCLUSION

Identafi®'s violet light and green amber light are more sensitive in detecting true positives. Toluidine blue is highly specific in ruling out true negative cases. The screening of OPMDs will help in selecting proper biopsy site followed by early diagnosis and intervention, hence increasing the prognosis, outcome and decrease complications associated with it.

Recurrence in Oral Premalignancy: Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Analysis

Oral leukoplakia (OL) has a propensity for recurrence and malignant transformation (MT). Herein, we evaluate sociodemographic, clinical, microscopic and immunohistochemical parameters as predictive factors for OL recurrence, also comparing primary lesions (PLs) with recurrences. Thirty-three patients with OL, completely removed either by excisional biopsy or by laser ablation following incisional biopsy, were studied. Selected molecules associated with the STAT3 oncogenic pathway, including pSTAT3, Bcl-xL, survivin, cyclin D1 and Ki-67, were further analyzed. A total of 135 OL lesions, including 97 PLs and 38 recurrences, were included. Out of 97 PLs, 31 recurred at least once and none of them underwent MT, during a mean follow-up time of 48.3 months. There was no statistically significant difference among the various parameters in recurrent vs. non-recurrent PLs, although recurrence was most frequent in non-homogeneous lesions (p = 0.087) and dysplastic lesions recurred at a higher percentage compared to hyperplastic lesions (34.5% vs. 15.4%). Lower levels of Bcl-xL and survivin were identified as significant risk factors for OL recurrence. Recurrences, although smaller and more frequently homogeneous and non-dysplastic compared to their corresponding PLs, exhibited increased immunohistochemical expression of oncogenic molecules, especially pSTAT3 and Bcl-xL. Our results suggest that parameters associated with recurrence may differ from those that affect the risk of progression to malignancy and support OL management protocols favoring excision and close monitoring of all lesions.

Retraction: Oral leukoplakia, a clinical-histopathological study in 412 patients

The authors detected some minor errors in the published manuscript (Rubert A, Bagán L, Bagán JV. Oral leukoplakia, a clinical-histopathological study in 412 patients. J Clin Exp Dent. 2020 Jun 1;12(6):e540-e546. doi: 10.4317/jced.57091. PMID: 32665812; PMCID: PMC7335600.) and have requested that the entire article be republished with these errors already rectified.

Background

A retrospective clinical-histopathological study was made of the evolution of oral leukoplakia over time, staging the disease according to the classification of van der Waal.

Material and Methods

A study was made of 412 patients with oral leukoplakia, analyzing the corresponding clinical factors and histopathological findings; assessing associations between the different clinical presentations and epithelial dysplasia; and evaluating the factors influencing malignant transformation of the lesions.

Results

Clinically, homogeneous presentations were seen to predominate (n = 336, 81.6%), while histologically most of the lesions exhibited no dysplastic changes (n = 271; 65.7%). Stage 1 of the van der Waal classification was the most common presentation (n = 214; 51.9%). The lesion malignization rate was 8.5%, and the factors associated to a significantly increased malignization risk were non-homogeneous OL lesions (p=0.00), lesion location in the tongue (p=0.00), and the presence of epithelial dysplasia (p=0.00).

Conclusions

In our series of patients with oral leukoplakia, malignization was associated to the less common clinical presentations of the disease, i.e., non-homogeneous lesions, and the latter tended to exhibit high grade epithelial dysplasia. Key words:Oral leukoplakia, potentially malignant disorders, malignant transformation.

[Esophageal Lichen Planus - an Underdiagnosed Disease]

An involvement of the esophagus in patients with lichen planus was described for the first time in 1982. Ever since, it has been seen as a rarity. However, studies over the last 10 years have shown a higher prevalence than expected. It may even be supposed that esophageal lichen planus (ELP) is more common than eosinophilic esophagitis. ELP mostly affects middle-aged women. The principal symptom is dysphagia. Endoscopically, ELP is characterized by denudation and tearing of the mucosa, trachealization and hyperkeratosis and esophageal stenosis may occur in patients with long courses of the disease. Histologic findings including mucosal detachment, T-lymphocytic infiltrate, intraepithelial apoptosis (civatte bodies) and dyskeratosis are crucial. Direct immunofluorescence shows fibrinogen deposits along the basement membrane zone. So far, there is no well-established therapy but a treatment with topic steroids is effective in 2/3 of the patients. Common therapy of lichen planus of the skin seems to be ineffective for treatment of ELP. Symptomatic esophageal stenosis should be endoscopically dilated. ELP joins the group of "new" immunologic diseases of the esophagus.

Oral leukoplakia, leukoerythroplakia, erythroplakia and actinic cheilitis: Analysis of 953 patients focusing on oral epithelial dysplasia

BACKGROUND

To analyse the clinical and histological characteristics from a series of oral leukoplakias, leukoerythroplakias, erythroplakias and actinic cheilitis diagnosed in a 14-year period.

METHODS

The files were reviewed and all cases diagnosed as leukoplakia, leukoerythroplakia, erythroplakia and actinic cheilitis were selected. Clinical information was obtained from the biopsy submission forms, and histological review was performed in all cases.

RESULTS

Final sample included 953 lesions, mostly affecting females (534, 56%), and 87.5% of the patients were 41 to 80 years old. The most commonly affected regions were the lower lip (20.1%), tongue (18.1%) and buccal mucosa (16.9%). Leukoplakias, actinic cheilitis, leukoerythroplakias and erythroplakias represented, respectively, 74.6%, 15.2%, 9.3% and 0.8% of the sample. Most cases presented no dysplasia (42.1%) or mild dysplasia (33.5%). Lesions in the tongue, floor of mouth and lower lip, as well as lesions that presented hyperparakeratosis, showed higher frequencies of moderate dysplasia and severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ. The most common histological criteria were the increase in number and size of nucleoli, loss of polarity of the basal cells and variations in cellular size and shape. Classification by the binary system showed that 7% were high-risk lesions.

CONCLUSION

All histological criteria for classification of oral epithelial dysplasia recommended by the World Health Organization showed increased frequency as grading increased. Additional criteria seem to be useful in grading oral epithelial dysplasia, such as the presence of normal and abnormal superficial mitotic figures and endophytic epithelial proliferation.

Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD): What is the clinical utility of dysplasia grade?

INTRODUCTION

Oral epithelial dysplasia is considered a potential histologic precursor of subsequent squamous cell cancer. As standard clinical practice, pathologists grade dysplasia to assess risk for progression to malignancy. Except for the most advanced grade, severe dysplasia, dysplasia grading has failed to correlate well with the risk to develop invasive cancer. The questions of what process dysplasia grading best represents and what clinical utility dysplasia grading may have are explored.

AREAS COVERED

This narrative review is based on PubMed search with emphasis on papers since 2010. Epithelial dysplasia as a precursor lesion of cancer and dysplasia grading as a risk assessment tool for progression to cancer are discussed. The close clinical association of dysplasia with known carcinogens, alcohol, and tobacco products is presented.

EXPERT OPINION

Oral epithelial dysplasia is often, associated with prolonged exposure to tobacco and alcohol products. With reduction of carcinogen exposure, dysplasia is known to regress in some cases. It is proposed that histologic dysplasia grade together with macroscopic images of dysplastic clinical lesions be used as an educational tool to incentivize patients to reduce their known carcinogen exposure. This strategy has the potential to reduce lesion progression thereby reducing the disease burden of oral cancer.

Malignant transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders in Taiwan: An observational nationwide population database study

Oral cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death, which are mostly preceded by oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Taiwanese government launched a free oral cancer screening program. The aim of this study was to analyze the malignant transformation rate of OPMDs.This study was based on national-wide oral screening databases. 3,362,232 people were enrolled. Patients clinically diagnosed with leukoplakia, erythroplakia, oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF), oral verrucous hyperplasia (OVH), and oral lichen planus (OLP), from 2010 to 2013, were identified. We followed up OPMD patients in cancer registry databases to analyze the malignant transformation rate.The malignant transformation rates from the highest to the lowest were: OVH > OSF > erythroplakia > OLP > leukoplakia. The malignant transformation rate was 24.55, 12.76, 9.75, 4.23, and 0.60 per 1000 person-years in the OVH, OSF, erythroplakia, leukoplakia, and comparison cohort. The hazard ratio was 8.19 times higher in the OPMD group compared with comparison cohort group, after age and habit adjustment. Female patients with OPMDs had a high risk of malignant transformation.Nationwide screening is very important for early diagnosis. OVH had the highest malignant transformation possibility. Female OPMD patients are a rare but have a relatively high malignant transformation rate.

Malignant transformation in a cohort of patients with oral epithelial dysplasia

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is often diagnosed in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and carries an increased risk of malignant transformation. Currently, the reported risk of malignant transformation for OED varies. Here we present the risk in a cohort of 150 patients with OED at a specialist centre. In this cohort 2.6%, 4.1%, and 29.2% cases of mild, moderate, and severe OED, respectively, progressed to oral squamous cell carcinoma at the dysplastic site, while a small number developed a malignant lesion elsewhere. Moreover, 17 patients experienced an increase in grade of dysplasia and two showed histological resolution of their lesions.

Oral cancer development in lichen planus and related conditions-3.0 evidence level: A systematic review of systematic reviews

A systematic review of systematic reviews-aka overview of reviews, a novel type of study design providing a tertiary level of evidence-is presented on systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MTA) evaluating the cancer development in oral lichen planus (OLP), oral lichenoid lesions (OLL), and oral lichenoid reactions (OLR). We searched for SR-MTA published before January 2021. We evaluated the methodological quality of SR-MTA using AMSTAR2 and checked the quality of evidence. Inclusion criteria were met by seven SR-MTA. Oral cancer ratios ranged between 0.44% and 2.28% for OLP, between 1.88% and 3.80% for OLL, and 1.71% for OLR. Significant factors on cancer development reported in SR-MTA were the presence of epithelial dysplasia, the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, the infection by the hepatitis C virus, the presence of atrophic and erosive lesions, and the location on the tongue. Only, one of the SRs assessed the quality of evidence, and most of them were judged to be of critically low methodological quality. In conclusion, based on the reported evidence on cancer incidence in OLP, our results reaffirm classifying OLP as an oral potentially malignant disorder. In relation to OLLs and OLRs, larger studies are necessary to provide further scientific evidence in this regard. Future follow-up studies on OLP and related lesions should be carried out under stricter criteria that improve their quality of evidence and methodological quality.

Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the last 5 years

OBJECTIVE

Oral leukoplakia (OL) is the most frequently encountered oral potentially malignant disorder. The aims of this systematic review are to estimate the overall malignant transformation of OL and to assess the risk factors associated with malignant transformation of OL published in the last 5 years (2015-2020).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a bibliographic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases with keywords "oral leukoplakia", "oral cancer", "oral carcinoma" and "oral squamous cell carcinoma". Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies were selected, that reported a total of 16,604 patients. Malignant transformation proportion varied between 1.1% and 40.8%. Female gender, non-homogeneous clinical type, and presence of epithelial dysplasia were significantly related to MT. Other risk factors previously suggested did not show significant results.

CONCLUSIONS

The pooled proportion of malignant transformation MT was 9.8% (95% CI: 7.9-11.7). It is necessary to continue to conduct well-designed prospective clinicopathological studies on OL, using a uniform definition for OL to reduce the risk of bias for evaluating various factors associated with the MT.

Lichenoid morphology could be an early feature of oral proliferative verrucous leukoplakia

BACKGROUND

Recognition and differentiation of early forms of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) could be a challenge to both clinicians and pathologists.

OBJECTIVE

To report on a retrospective study that was carried out on 51 cases of PVL that were initially diagnosed as frictional keratosis, oral leukoplakia or oral lichen planus. A secondary objective is to report on the outcome of malignant transformation during follow-up.

METHODS

Records of patients seen at an oral medicine clinic with the final clinical diagnosis of PVL were audited for early clinical and histopathologic features in their biopsy at first presentation, and for subsequent malignant transformation.

RESULTS

Fifty-one patients (25 men and 26 women) with a mean age 51 years (men) and 53 years (women) at initial presentation were studied. 28% men and 11.5% women were current smokers. Initial clinical diagnoses were frictional keratoses (n = 4), Leukoplakia (n = 17) and lichen planus (n = 30). Epithelial dysplasia was reported in the initial biopsy in 12 cases and lichen planus/lichenoid features in 22 cases (22/51; 43%). Malignant transformation occurred in 11/51 patients (21.5%).

CONCLUSION

Lichen planus or lichenoid lesions could be the initial presentation of many PVL cases that later develop multiple leukoplakic lesions with a final diagnosis of PVL.

UK consensus recommendations on the management of oral epithelial dysplasia during COVID-19 pandemic outbreaks

OBJECTIVES

Oral Epithelial Dysplasia (OED) is associated with an increased risk of oral cancer development. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is necessitating the suspension or dramatic reduction of face-to-face non-urgent elective services, including OED clinics. Little is known regarding the potential impact of elective services suspension upon the risk of OED progression, and whether alternative strategies (e.g. remote consultations) may be introduced to ensure OED surveillance. The aim of this paper is to provide expert-opinion consensus recommendations for the management of OED during the current and future pandemic outbreaks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A working group of nine UK-based senior clinicians and academics in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine was created and twelve consensus statements were developed using a modified-Delphi process. Greater than 80% agreement was considered a consensus.

RESULTS

Consensus was achieved for all twelve statements (89-100% agreement). The group agreed that, during the temporary suspension of elective services associated with COVID-19 pandemic outbreaks, patients with OED can be risk stratified to determine the length of accepted delay in face-to-face consultation. Remote consultations with patient-provided clinical photographs may be a useful way of maintaining a level of surveillance in this group of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Using an expert working group methodology, we have developed consensus recommendations for the monitoring of individuals with OED during pandemic outbreaks associated with temporary suspension of elective services. This has identified areas of future research and highlighted the need for a stronger evidence base to inform the set-up and delivery of surveillance regimens for patients with OED.

Tissue biomarkers for predicting the risk of oral cancer in patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

We performed a systematic review to evaluate the published biomarkers related to oral leukoplakia (OL), aiming to identify the biomarkers that indicate any future risk of cancer in patients with oral leukoplakia.

METHODS

A search strategy was developed for three main electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EBSCO, and also for Google Scholar, until February 28, 2020. The study selection was performed in a two-phase process aiming at studies assessing tissue biomarkers for "malignant transformation of OL." Risk of bias analysis of included studies was performed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies Tool.

RESULTS

From 3,130 articles initially identified by searching databases, a total of 46 studies were included in this systematic review, with a combined sample of 3,783 patients, of whom 1,047 presented with malignant transformation of a previously diagnosed OL as reported by the authors. The cancer incidence in the whole group was 27.6% (range: 5.4% to 54.1%). The studies were derived from different geographic areas, including Asia (n = 21), Europe (n = 15), North America (n = 9), and Oceania (n = 1). There were 49 different molecular biomarkers evaluated in the 46 included studies: p53 and podoplanin proteins were the most frequently reported, followed by abnormalities at particular chromosomal loci (e.g., LOH). Risk of bias analysis revealed concerns associated with "measurement of prognostic factor," "study confounding" and "statistical analysis and reporting."

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial heterogeneity and lack of standardized reporting of data among the studies were identified. The most promising biomarkers reported to have a significant association with the malignant transformation in OL included podoplanin and chromosomal loci abnormalities. A critical examination of the follow-up studies on OL published so far indicated that tissue biomarkers that could predict the risk of oral cancer in patients with OL are still in a discovery phase.

Non-Invasive Diagnostic System Based on Light for Detecting Early-Stage Oral Cancer and High-Risk Precancerous Lesions-Potential for Dentistry

Simple Summary

The early detection of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders can facilitate minimum intervention and subsequent improvements in prognosis and quality of life after treatment. Recently, several non-invasive adjunctive fluorescence-based detection systems have improved the accuracy of detection and diagnosis of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders. This article summarizes current knowledge about fluorescence-based diagnostic methods and discusses their benefits and drawbacks from a clinical viewpoint.

Abstract

Oral health promotion and examinations have contributed to the early detection of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders, leading to the adaptation of minimally invasive therapies and subsequent improvements in the prognosis/maintenance of the quality of life after treatments. However, the accurate detection of early-stage oral cancer and oral epithelial dysplasia is particularly difficult for conventional oral examinations because these lesions sometimes resemble benign lesions or healthy oral mucosa tissues. Although oral biopsy has been considered the gold standard for accurate diagnosis, it is deemed invasive for patients. For this reason, most clinicians are looking forward to the development of non-invasive diagnostic technologies to detect and distinguish between cancerous and benign lesions. To date, several non-invasive adjunctive fluorescence-based detection systems have improved the accuracy of the detection and diagnosis of oral mucosal lesions. Autofluorescence-based systems can detect lesions as a loss of autofluorescence through irradiation with blue-violet lights. Photodynamic diagnosis using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA-PDD) shows the presence of very early oral cancers and oral epithelial dysplasia as a red fluorescent area. In this article, currently used fluorescence-based diagnostic methods are introduced and discussed from a clinical point of view.

Annual malignant transformation rate of oral leukoplakia remains consistent: A long-term follow-up study

OBJECTIVES

Numerous clinical and histopathological characteristics have been associated with malignant transformation (MT) of oral leukoplakia (OL), including classic and differentiated epithelial dysplasia, but MT predictions remain suboptimal. The objective of this study was to determine the annual MT rate of OL and to identify clinicopathological risk factors associated with MT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

170 patients with OL were included in this retrospective cohort study, 117 females and 53 males. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 219 months (median 54). The analyzed variables included age, gender, smoking habits, clinical presentation, subsite, size and treatment. In a subgroup of 140 patients, histopathological diagnoses were reviewed with regard to the presence of dysplasia, discerning both classic dysplasia and differentiated dysplasia.

RESULTS

MT occurred in 23% of the patients, resulting in an annual MT rate of 4.9% (95% CI: 3.5 - 6.6) which remained consistent. High-risk subsite (tongue and floor of mouth) was the only clinical predictor for MT (Hazard Ratio = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3 - 5.5, p = 0.007). In 140 patients, classic dysplasia (Hazard Ratio = 7.2, 95% CI: 1.6 - 33.1, p = 0.012) and differentiated dysplasia (Hazard Ratio = 6.6, 95% CI: 1.2 - 25.4, p = 0.026) were predictors for MT. Binary grading between dysplasia and no dysplasia was significant for predicting MT (Hazard Ratio = 6.4, 95% CI: 1.5 - 27.5, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

Since annual MT rate of OL remains stable during follow-up, regular long-term or even life-long follow-up is advocated. Specific oral subsites and epithelial dysplasia are predictors for MT of OL.

Malignant transformation in oral lichen planus and lichenoid lesions: a 14-year longitudinal retrospective cohort study of 829 patients in New Zealand

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify the rate of malignant transformation in a longitudinal cohort of patients with oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesion (OLP/OLL) and to assess the associations between clinicopathologic aspects and malignant transformation.

STUDY DESIGN

Data were taken from the records of 829 patients histologically diagnosed with OLP/OLL in the years 2005 to 2018.

RESULTS

Of the study patients, 548 (66.1%) were females and 281 (33.9%) were males. The average age at diagnosis was 57.3 years. The hyperplastic type was the most frequent (58.5%). Most patients had multiple sites of involvement, with the buccal mucosa being the most frequent site of biopsy. Oral epithelial dysplasia developed in 5 (0.6%) patients with a previous histologic diagnosis of OLP/OLL and developed oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in 23 patients (2.8%) during the follow-up period. The atrophic/ulcerative forms are 25.8 times more likely to progress to OSCC compared with the hyperplastic types (hazard ratio [HR] 25.8; P < .05). The HR increases by 5% with every year of age (HR 1.05; 95% confidence interval; P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, oral epithelial dysplasia developed in less than 1% of patients with OLP/OLL, and OSCC in 2.8%during the follow-up period. The atrophic/ulcerative forms are 25.8 times more likely to progress to OSCC compared with the hyperplastic types. The HR increases by 5% with every year of age.

Oral leukoplakia, a clinical-histopathological study in 412 patients

Background

A retrospective clinical-histopathological study was made of the evolution of oral leukoplakia over time, staging the disease according to the classification of van der Waal.

Material and Methods

A study was made of 412 patients with oral leukoplakia, analyzing the corresponding clinical factors and histopathological findings; assessing associations between the different clinical presentations and epithelial dysplasia; and evaluating the factors influencing malignant transformation of the lesions.

Results

Clinically, homogeneous presentations were seen to predominate (n = 336, 81.6%), while histologically most of the lesions exhibited no dysplastic changes (n = 271; 65.7%). Stage 1 of the van der Waal classification was the most common presentation (n = 214; 51.9%). The lesion malignization rate was 8.3%, and the factors associated to a significantly increased malignization risk were non-homogeneous OL lesions (p=0.00), lesion location in the tongue (p=0.00), and the presence of epithelial dysplasia (p=0.00).

Conclusions

In our series of patients with oral leukoplakia, malignization was associated to the less common clinical presentations of the disease, i.e., non-homogeneous lesions, and the latter tended to exhibit high grade epithelial dysplasia.

Key words:Oral leukoplakia, potentially malignant disorders, malignant transformation.

Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: a follow-up study

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the study was to identify the determinants that contribute to the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia in a group of patients managed in secondary care. A secondary objective was to compare two dysplasia grading systems to determine their utility in assessing the prognosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The cohort consisted of 93 patients diagnosed during the period 2009-2013. The variables recorded and analysed included age and sex, clinical presentation (colour) and severity of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) scored by the WHO (2005) and the binary grading systems. The planned management included excision of high-grade dysplasia and observation of low-grade dysplasia lesions based on the WHO grading system. Patient factors were transcribed from the pathology records and updated using a questionnaire sent out to the whole group of patients. Data were analysed using χ² test and Kaplan-Meier analysis (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

Complete follow-up data were available for 93 patients. Malignant transformation occurred in 7 patients (7.5%) during a mean follow-up period of 30 months. Among the surgically excised group (n = 51), a recurrence of oral leukoplakia was noted in 16 patients (31%). WHO OED grading (P = 0.02) and the presence of red areas (P = 0.012) were useful in predicting malignant transformation with severe epithelial dysplastic lesions and red and white mixed lesions showing higher rates.

CONCLUSION

Leukoplakias (7.5%) transformed over a mean follow-up period of 30 months. Dysplasia grading and the clinical appearance by colour (mixed white and red) were significant predictors of malignant transformation CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Patients with erythroleukoplakia and those diagnosed with moderate or severe epithelial dysplasia require more intensive interventions as such lesions have a higher risk of developing a malignancy.

World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Prognostic biomarkers in oral leukoplakia and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia-A systematic review of retrospective studies

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review retrospective studies examining prognostic potentials of candidate biomarkers to stratify malignant progression of oral leukoplakia (OL) and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Evidence-Based Medicine and Web of Science databases targeted literature published through 29 March 2018. Inter-rater agreement was ascertained during title, abstract and full-text reviews. Eligibility evaluation and data abstraction from eligible studies were guided by predefined PICO questions and bias assessment by the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Reporting followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis criteria. Biomarkers were stratified based on cancer hallmarks.

RESULTS

Eligible studies (n = 54/3,415) evaluated 109 unique biomarkers in tissue specimens from 2,762 cases (2,713 OL, 49 PVL). No biomarker achieved benchmarks for clinical application to detect malignant transformation. Inter-rater reliability was high, but 65% of included studies had high "Study Confounding" bias risk.

CONCLUSION

There was no evidence to support translation of candidate biomarkers predictive of malignant transformation of OL and PVL. Systematically designed, large, optimally controlled, collaborative, prospective and longitudinal studies with a priori-specified methods to identify, recruit, prospectively follow and test for malignant transformation are needed to enhance feasibility of prognostic biomarkers predicting malignant OL or PVL transformation.

Long-term follow-up of oral epithelial dysplasia: A hospital based cross-sectional study

Background/purpose

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is characterized histopathologically by cellular and morphological changes that remain the single most important factor predicting risk for subsequent development of invasive neoplasia. Hence the aims of the present study were to determine the rate of malignant change of OED in a group of patients followed-up for a number of years, and hence determine factors likely to influence this malignant change, and to describe the clinical characteristics of patients who developed recurrence of OED and second dysplastic lesions.

Materials and methods

This is hospital based cross-sectional study of all biopsy reports with histologically confirmed OED between 2012 and 2018 were retrospectivelly reviewed.

Results

A total of 359 patients with histologically confirmed OED were reviewed, twenty (5.5%) of the 359 patients developed an invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral mucosa over a period of 2 to 274 months with mean transformation time of 3.3 years.

Conclusion

The high risk of malignant transformation of OED seems to be related to patients older than 50 years when lesions were on the floor of mouth with severe dysplastic changes.

Malignant transformation rate of oral leukoplakia-systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of prevalence studies to determine the rate of malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia and assess the influence of demographic factors (age, gender, and geographic region) on the overall transformation rate.

STUDY DESIGN

A search was conducted for publications until July 2019 in 4 electronic databases and peer-reviewed journals. A manual search was performed on the bibliographies of the collected articles, and the authors were contacted for additional information. This study was previously registered with the trial number CRD42019126909 and study quality assessed through established methods. The results were expressed by means of proportions or odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval. Meta-regression was undertaken to evaluate possible sources of heterogeneity, and funnel plot visual analysis was performed to assess publication bias.

RESULTS

The 34 observational epidemiologic studies included reported data on 26,209 patients with oral leukoplakia from 18 different countries. Meta-analysis of 32 studies (23,489 patients) presented an estimated overall mean proportion of malignant transformation rate of 9.70% (7.80-11.70) (I² = 98.66%; τ² < 0.001; χ² = 23.18; degrees of freedom [df] = 31). When comparing genders, the odds ratio favored males with 0.622 (0.468-0.826) (I² = 29.77%; τ² = 0.089; χ² = 22.78; df = 16).

CONCLUSIONS

Within the limitations of the included studies in this systematic review, the results suggest that the malignant transformation rate was dependent on demographic factors and follow-up time. Future studies should include the development of guidelines to standardize the methodology for long-term follow-up assessment, thus reducing the risk of bias.

Prevalence of and related risk factors in oral mucosa diseases among residents in the Baoshan District of Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

Oral mucosal diseases (OMDs) encompass a variety of different types of diseases. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence and related risk factors of OMDs among residents in the Baoshan District of Shanghai, China, and provide a scientific basis for prevention and control strategies.

METHODS

A sample of 653 residents aged 17 to 92 years from the Baoshan community was investigated in 2014. Each resident was surveyed by questionnaire to evaluate their oral mucosa and oral mucosa examinations were conducted. We followed up with 607 residents in 2018. All data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 software package (Chicago, IL, USA) at the general population, gender and age levels. A X2 test was used to compare rates of risk factors and logistic regression analysis was used to detect the correlation between disease and risk factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence rate of OMDs was found to be 9.19%-9.56% (2014-2018). The most common OMDs were atrophic glossitis (1.84%), recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU, 1.68%), burning mouth syndrome (BMS, 1.38%), oral lichen planus (OLP, 1.23%) and traumatic ulcers (1.23%). The prevalence of RAU and BMS in different age groups was significantly different. Tobacco and alcohol use and psychological factors in the OMDs group were higher than the no-OMDs group. Systemic diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM) was significantly relevant to OLP.

CONCLUSION

Age, tobacco and alcohol use, and psychological factor correlated strongly with the occurrence and development of OMDs, and they should be the focus of primary prevention. General epidemiological studies suggested that OLP was closely related to DM.

Oral potentially malignant disorders: A comprehensive review on clinical aspects and management

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) include a group of conditions that affect the oral mucosa with an increased risk of malignancy. During their evolution visible changes may be found in the colour or in the thickness of the oral mucosa and these changes can be detected during an oral examination. Their clinical presentations are diverse and their natural history is not well described. Oral leukoplakia is the most commonly encountered OPMD in clinical practice. Use of optical fluorescence imaging or staining with toluidine blue may increase the number of lesions detected compared to oral visual examination alone and may increase border distinction at a subjective level. When stratifying their risk consideration is given to the presence of red areas, size exceeding 200 mm², presence of lichenoid features and a higher grade of dysplasia in the pathology report. Up to a third of OPMDs may transform to squamous cell carcinomas.

Potentially malignant disorders of the oral cavity and oral dysplasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of malignant transformation rate by subtype

IMPORTANCE

Potentially malignant disorders of the oral cavity (OPMD) are a heterogeneous group of lesions associated with a variable risk of malignant transformation (MT) to invasive cancer. Leukoplakia (LE), lichen planus (LP), oral lichenoid lesions (OLL), oral erythroplakia (OE), oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) are among the most common of these lesions. Oral dysplasia is a mucosal area characterized by cellular and architectural derangement, which may be associated with OPMDs or not.

OBJECTIVE

To define the MT rate of OPMDs and the risk of development into cancer of mild vs moderate/severe oral dysplasia. This in order to implement adequate follow-up strategies and treatment decisions.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies reporting the MT rates of OPMDs and oral dysplasia. Ninety-two studies were included for the analysis. Cumulative rates were reported for OPMDs overall and as a subgroup, a comparison was made of mild vs moderate/severe dysplasia. Meta-regression on OPMD and year of publication was also performed.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES

Overall MT rates of OPMDs and odds ratio of MT of mild vs moderate/severe dysplasia.

RESULTS

Overall MT rate across all OPMD groups was 7.9% (99% confidence interval [CI] 4.9%-11.5%). MT rates of the specific OPMD subgroups were as follows: LP 1.4% (99% CI 0.9%-1.9%), LE 9.5 (5.9%-14.00%), OLL 3.8% (99% CI 1.6%-7.00%), OSF 5.2% (99% CI 2.9%-8.00%), OE 33.1% (99% CI 13.6%-56.1%), and PVL 49.5% (99% CI 26.7%-72.4%). Regarding the dysplasia grades comparison, the meta-analysis showed that moderate/severe dysplasia is meaningfully associated to a much greater risk of MT compared to mild dysplasia with an odds ratio of 2.4 (95% CI 1.5-3.8) [Correction added on 27 December 2019, after first online publication: CI updated from 99% to 95%.]. Heterogeneity was not significant. Annual MT rates were approximated based on the average follow-up as reported in the various subgroups. Lichen planus had an annual MT of 0.28%, OLL of 0.57%, leukoplakia of 1.56%, PVL of 9.3%, and OSF of 0.98%. Mild dysplasia had an annual MT of 1.7%, while severe dysplasia of 3.57%. Meta-regression showed a significant negative correlation of PVL MT rate and year of the study (P value <.001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

OPMDs and oral dysplasia are relatively common conditions that general practitioners, head and neck, and oral medicine specialists, face in their everyday practice. Our analysis confirms the significant risk of MT of these lesions, although variable among the subgroups. Moderate/severe dysplasia bears a much higher risk of cancer evolution than mild dysplasia. It is important to raise public health awareness on the MT rates of these conditions, at the same time efficacious communication with the patient is of utmost importance. This, coupled with strict follow-up measures and optimal treatment strategies, would help in reducing the transformation of these oral conditions into invasive cancer.

Oral epithelial dysplasia: Causes, quantification, prognosis, and management challenges

Oral epithelial dysplasia is a spectrum of architectural and cytological epithelial changes caused by accumulation of genetic changes, and is associated with an increased risk of progression to squamous cell carcinoma. It is a microscopic diagnosis of immense clinical importance. The initial reports of oral potentially malignant disorders with oral epithelial dysplasia transforming to oral cancer helped in understanding the nature of oral malignancies. Since then, clinical studies on oral potentially malignant disorders have combined microscopic findings of oral epithelial dysplasia to assess the malignant transformation potential of different grades of epithelial dysplasia. A significant amount of scientific literature has amassed on oral epithelial dysplasia relating to aspects of its diagnosis and management. However, the evidence base is weak as a result of the significant variability of published research. Poorly described study methods, variability in different oral epithelial dysplasia grading systems, inter- and intra-examiner variability causing issues of reliability, inadequate sample size, and inconsistent durations of follow-up are some of the methodological issues contributing to the failure to provide dependable information. Randomized clinical trials on the malignant transformation potential of oral epithelial dysplasia and its treatment outcomes are limited. This comprehensive literature review on oral epithelial dysplasia summarizes the scientific knowledge published in the scientific literature in English since its first description. The historical development, etiological factors, grading systems, diagnostic criteria, assessment of risk factors and prevention of malignant transformation, management principles of different grades of oral epithelial dysplasia (surgical and nonsurgical), recommendations on follow-up, and prognostic indicators are discussed in detail.

Malignant transformation risk of oral lichen planus: A systematic review and comprehensive meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate current evidence on the malignant transformation of oral lichen planus (OLP), oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs), and oral lichenoid reactions (LRs) and to determine the variables with greatest influence on cancer development.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published before November 2018. We evaluated the quality of studies (QUIPS tool). We carried out meta-analyses to fulfill our objectives. We examined the between-study heterogeneity and small-study effects, and conducted sensitivity studies and subgroup analyses.

RESULTS

Inclusion criteria were met by 82 studies (26,742 patients. The combined malignant transformation rate was 1.14% for OLP (95% CI = 0.84-1.49), 1.88% for OLLs (95% CI = 0.15-4.95) and 1.71% for LRs (95% CI = 0.00-5.46). Subgroup analysis revealed a higher malignant transformation rate in studies when the presence of epithelial dysplasia was not an exclusion criterion (p = 0.001), when both clinical and histopathological criteria were used for diagnosis (p < 0.001), when the follow-up was at least 12 months (p = 0.048), and when there was lower risk of potential bias (p = 0.002). Malignant transformation risk factors were: tongue localization (RR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.21-2.74, p = 0.004), presence of atrophic-erosive lesions (RR = 4.09, 95% CI = 2.40-6.98, p < 0.001), tobacco use (RR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.28-3.05, p = 0.002), alcohol consumption (RR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.14-4.56, p = 0.02), and hepatitis C virus infection (RR = 4.46, 95% CI = 0.98-20.22, p = 0.053).

CONCLUSIONS

The malignant transformation rates of OLP, OLLs and LRs are underestimated due essentially to restrictive diagnostic criteria, inadequate follow-up periods, and/or low quality of studies.

Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Oral Cancer: Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to provide guidance on the implementation of a surgical treatment of oral cancer. MEDLINE databases were searched for articles on subjects related to "surgical management of oral cancer" published in English. Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized control trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. The quality of evidence was rated with use RoBANS (Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies) and AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews). Evidence-based recommendations for practice were ranked according to the American College of Physicians grading system. Additional directives are provided as expert opinions and Delphi questionnaire when insufficient evidence existed. The Committee developed 68 evidence-based recommendations in 34 categories intended to assist clinicians and patients and counselors, and health policy-makers. Proper surgical treatment selection for oral cancer, which is directed by patient- and subsite-specific factors, remains the greatest predictor of successful treatment outcomes. These guidelines are intended for use in conjunction with the individual patient's treatment goals.

Rate of malignant transformation of oral lichen planus: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to determine: (a) the malignant transformation rate (TR) of oral lichen planus (OLP) and its risk factors; (b) whether or not oral lichenoid lesions (OLL) have a different malignant TR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used as search engines: only observational, full-length, English language studies were investigated. PRISMA protocol was used to evaluate and present results. PROSPERO registration code is CRD42016048529.

RESULTS

Among 7,429 records screened, only 21 were included in this review. Ninety-two of 6,559 patients developed oral squamous cell carcinoma, with an overall TR of 1.40% (1.37% for OLP and 2.43% for OLL), an annual TR of 0.20%. Female gender, red clinical forms, and tongue site seem to slightly increase the transformation risk.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review confirms that both OLP and OLL, the latter with a slightly higher TR, may be considered potentially malignant disorders and suggest that erosive type, female gender and tongue site should be considered as risk factors for OLP transformation. Major efforts should be done to establish strict clinical and histological criteria to diagnose OLP and to perform sounder methodological observational studies.

Immunohistochemistry of YAP and dNp63 and survival analysis of patients bearing precancerous lesion and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a candidate oncogene in various human cancers, and recently, it has been reported that YAP expression and its activity was enhanced by ΔNp63. However, the role of YAP and ΔNp63 expression in carcinogenesis and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been unknown. Therefore, we investigated how YAP and ΔNp63 influence carcinogenesis and progression of OSCC. Methods: We performed immunohistochemical analyses in whole tissue samples to investigate YAP and ΔNp63 expression in normal oral mucosa, epithelial hyperplasia, oral epithelial dysplasia (OED; low/high grade), carcinoma in situ (CIS), and OSCC. Furthermore, in OSCC, we analyzed clinical significance by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: In normal oral mucosa and epithelial hyperplasia, YAP expression was primarily confined to the basal and parabasal layers, but YAP expression was elevated in OED, CIS, and OSCC. In OED, YAP and ΔNp63 expression levels were markedly higher in high grade than in low grade. In OSCC groups, YAP and ΔNp63 expression patterns tended to differ according to histopathological differentiation of OSCC. Furthermore, the YAP high expression group, which showed YAP staining in >50% positive cells with strong cytoplasmic staining or >10% positive cells with nuclear reactivity, showed a tendency to have a poor survival rate. Conclusion: YAP and ΔNp63 expression levels correlated with grade of oral OED. Additionally, YAP expression was associated with OSCC survival rate. Our results suggested that YAP and ΔNp63 expression might serve as predictive markers to distinguish OSCC development and progression.

Predicting malignant progression in clinically high-risk lesions by DNA ploidy analysis and dysplasia grading

The value of image cytometry DNA ploidy analysis and dysplasia grading to predict malignant transformation has been determined in oral lesions considered to be at ‘high’ risk on the basis of clinical information and biopsy result. 10-year follow up data for 259 sequential patients with oral lesions clinically at ‘high’ risk of malignant transformation were matched to cancer registry and local pathology database records of malignant outcomes, ploidy result and histological dysplasia grade. In multivariate analysis (n = 228 patients), 24 developed carcinoma and of these, 14 prior biopsy samples were aneuploid. Aneuploidy was a significant predictor (hazard ratio 7.92; 95% CI 3.45, 18.17) compared with diploidy (p < 0.001). The positive predictive value (PPV) for severe dysplasia was 50% (95% CI 31.5, 68.5) and for aneuploid lesions, 33.3% (95% CI 19.0, 47.6). Combined DNA aneuploidy and severe dysplasia increased PPV to 56.3% (95% CI 31.9, 80.6). Diploid-tetraploid and non-dysplastic status had high negative predictive values (NPV) of 94.6% (95% CI 91.4, 97.8) and 99.17% (95% CI 97.4, 100.8) respectively. DNA ploidy predicts malignant transformation well and combining it with dysplasia grading gave the highest predictive value. The predictive values reported here exceed those from other investigations to date.

Malignant transformation to oral cancer by subtype of oral potentially malignant disorder: A prospective cohort study of Taiwanese nationwide oral cancer screening program

OBJECTIVES

To elucidate the risk of malignant transformation to invasive oral cancer by subtypes of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and to examine the independent effects of risk factors, particularly alcohol drinking, by subtype based on a nationwide oral cancer screening program targeting at general population with habits of smoking and/or betel quids chewing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The total of 8501 subjects diagnosed as different subtypes of OPMDs from the Taiwanese screening program between 2004 and 2009 were followed up over time to ascertain the occurrence of invasive oral cancer. The hazard ratios of malignant transformation were estimated by using Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

The overall malignant rate (per 1000 person-years) to oral cancer was 8.4 (407 incident cases with an average of 5.7 years of follow-up). The highest rate was noted in exophytic verrucous hyperplasia (33), followed by erythroplakia (11.8), erythroleukoplakia (10.7), oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) (8.6), and leukoplakia (5.4). After adjusting for confounders, exophytic verrucous hyperplasia still had a 5.69 (4.47-7.24) times risk compared with leukoplakia. The corresponding figures for erythroplakia, erythroleukoplakia, and OSF were 2.25 (1.31-3.89), 2.00 (1.13-3.53), and 1.63 (1.29-2.06), respectively. Alcohol drinking elevated the overall risk of malignant transformation by 23% (1-52% and also triggered a higher risk in OSF (aHR = 1.62 (1.06-2.47)). The higher risk attributed to betel quids chewing was noted for exophytic verrucous hyperplasia (aHR = 4.23 (1.55-11.55)).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of malignant transformation to oral cancer varied with the subtypes of OPMD and was elevated in OSF and verrucous hyperplasia attributed to alcohol drinking and betel quids, respectively.

Oral Cancer Early Detection: What Do Patients Need To Know?

The purpose of the present study was to examine the educational needs of patients regarding early detection of oral cancer. A total of 790 patients without cancer were interviewed and shown a set of validated clinical images of various oral lesions including early oral cancer. Participants were asked about their perception of cancer and the action that they would take if they notice a similar lesion. Lower risk lesions (e.g., lumps) were more likely to be perceived as cancer (52.4%), while higher risk lesions (e.g., red patches) were least likely to be perceived as cancer (8.8%). The perceived appearance of the lesions was correlated with patients' perceived need for medical advice. Higher risk lesions were less likely to make patients feel the need to seek professional advice. High-risk patients were less aware about oral cancer appearance and were less likely to take action if they notice an oral lesion. Patients are not aware of the various presentations of early oral cancers, especially higher risk lesions. Patients need to know more about the clinical appearance of early oral cancer. The use of representative clinical images of early oral cancer and educational videos on self-inspection of oral mucosa is important.

Predicting the Presence of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Commonly Dysregulated MicroRNA in Oral Swirls

Oral swirls are a noninvasive, rapidly collected source of salivary microRNA (miRNA) potentially useful in the early detection of disease states, particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to predict the presence of OSCC using a panel of OSCC-related dysregulated miRNA found in oral swirls, identified jointly in data from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and fresh-frozen specimens. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to determine miRNA fold changes in FFPE OSCC specimens relative to histologically normal epithelium. These data were placed with NGS of fresh-frozen tissue data of The Cancer Genome Atlas database to select a panel of commonly dysregulated miRNA. This panel was then analyzed by RT-qPCR in RNA extracted from oral swirls collected from 30 patients with OSCC and 30 controls. Upregulation of miR-31 and miR-21 and downregulation of miR-99a, let-7c, miR-125b, and miR-100 were found between OSCC and controls in both FFPE and fresh-frozen samples. These miRNAs were studied in a training set of 15 OSCC versus 15 control oral swirls to develop a dysregulation score [AUC, 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.88-1.03] and classification tree. A test cohort of 15 OSCC versus 15 control oral swirls yielded a dysregulation score AUC of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.79-1.00) with the classification tree identifying 100% (15/15) of OSCC and 67% (10/15) of controls. This study debuts the use of OSCC-associated miRNA, commonly dysregulated in both FFPE and frozen specimens, in oral swirls to indicate the presence of OSCC with high accuracy. Cancer Prev Res; 11(8); 491-502. ©2018 AACR.

Evaluation of epithelial dysplasia adjacent to lip squamous cell carcinoma indicates that the degree of dysplasia is not associated with the occurrence of invasive carcinoma in this site

BACKGROUND

We analyzed the different grades of dysplasia in the epithelium adjacent to lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), as a parallel to actinic cheilitis (AC) that suffered malignant transformation.

METHODS

Forty samples of epithelium adjacent to LSCC were histologically graded according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the binary systems. The expression of mutated p53 was evaluated through immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

According to WHO system, 37.5% of the cases were graded as mild, 45% as moderate and 17.5% as severe dysplasia (P = 0.09). Considering the binary system, 90% of the cases were classified as low-risk and 10% as high-risk lesions. Mutated p53 was present in 73.3% of mild, 88.8% of moderate and 71.4% of severe dysplasia cases. Considering the binary system, 80.5% of the low-risk and 75% of high-risk lesions were immunopositive; 62.5% expressed the protein in both tumor cells and adjacent epithelium; 17.5% in adjacent epithelium only, and 7.5% in LSCC islands only (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed heterogeneous grades of epithelial dysplasia in the epithelium adjacent to LSCC, which indicates that the analysis of AC morphological features is insufficient to predict patient's prognosis and to determine a treatment decision. Positive expression of mutant p53 in mild dysplasia reinforces this idea.

Characterization of epithelial oral dysplasia in non-smokers: First steps towards precision medicine

OBJECTIVES

Tobacco usage is the strongest risk factor in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which mandates careful screening for oral cancers in smokers. However, there are indications that oral potentially malignant lesions, such as oral epithelial dysplasia (OED), in non-smokers (NS) have a higher cancer risk than those in smokers. Without tobacco as an etiology, the development of these lesions in NS may suggest genetic susceptibility. The increasing incidence of OSCC in NS calls for a better understanding of the natural history of OED in NS as compared to that of smokers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients from a population-based longitudinal study with more than 10 years of follow up were analyzed. Of the 455 patients with primary OED (233 mild and 212 moderate dysplasia), 139 were NS and 306 were smokers. Demographic and habit information, clinical information (lesion site, size and appearance; toluidine blue and fluorescent visualization), microsatellite analysis for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and outcome (progression) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients with OED were smokers. Of these, more were males, non-Caucasians and heavy drinkers. A significantly higher number of OED in NS were in the tongue, whereas a significantly higher number of OED in smokers were in the floor of mouth (FOM). OED in NS showed a greater than 2-fold increase in cancer progression. Strikingly, OED located in the FOM in NS showed a 38-fold increase in cancer progression as compared to those in smokers.

Oral potentially malignant disorders: risk of progression to malignancy

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) have a statistically increased risk of progressing to cancer, but the risk varies according to a range of patient- or lesion-related factors. It is difficult to predict the risk of progression in any individual patient, and the clinician must make a judgment based on assessment of each case. The most commonly encountered OPMD is leukoplakia, but others, including lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis, and erythroplakia, may also be seen. Factors associated with an increased risk of malignant transformation include sex; site and type of lesion; habits, such as smoking and alcohol consumption; and the presence of epithelial dysplasia on histologic examination. In this review, we attempt to identify important risk factors and present a simple algorithm that can be used as a guide for risk assessment at each stage of the clinical evaluation of a patient.