Dysplasia & Oral Cancer Flashcards
What can potentially malignant disorders be subtyped into
- potentially malignant lesion
- potentially malignant condition
What is a potentially malignant lesion
altered tissue in which cancer is more likely to form
What is a potentially malignant condition
- generalized state with increased cancer risk
What are examples of potentially malignant lesions/conditions
- leukoplakia
- erythroplakia
- lichen planus
- oral submucosa fibrosis
- iron deficiency
- teritary syphilis
LP, OSF, tertiary syphilis can be potential malignant lesion/condition
What are predictors of malignancy in luekoplakia
- age
- gender
- site
- clinical appearance
How does age effect risk of malignant transformation of leukoplakia
older px more likely
How does gender effect risk of malignant transformation of leukoplakia
- female more at risk
How does site effect risk of malignant transformation of leukoplakia
- buccal mucosa = low risk
- FOM & tongue = high risk
- sublingual keratosis occurs in FOM and is v high risk
How does clinical appeareance effect risk of malignant transformation of leukoplakia
- homogenous vs non-homogenous surface
- non-homogenous higher risk
What is a homogenous surface
same colour and consistency throughout lesion
What is a non-homogenous lesion
*e.g verrucous, ulcerated, leukoerythroplakia
should be biopsied
Which types of lichen planus are at most risk of malignant transformation
- erosive/atrophic
- lichen planus also at greater risk of developing candidal leukoplakia which increases risk of malignant transformation
What is oral submucous fibrosis
- more common in china and india
- linked to betel nut chewing
- abnormal collagen is deposited in connective tissue in submucosa
- results in fibrosis of tissues and muscles
- limited mouth opening
- produces epithelial atrophy and sometimes leuko/erythroplakia
- 8% malignant transformation
How does iron deficiency increase risk of malignant transformation
- oral epithelium thins
- protection lost against carcinogens
What is tertiary syphilis
- get gumma formation
- can result in leukoplakia on tongue
- high risk for transformation to SCC
What is the gold standard for assessing malignant potential
biopsy (histopathology)
What are the tissues assessed for in histopathology
- dysplasia
- atrophy
- candida infection
- biological markers (mostly in research atm)
What are some of the biological markers that are looked at
- DNA content
- p53
- HPV
What does increased DNA contnet in leukoplakia suggest
biological marker in histopathology
- cell is acquiring hallmarks of cancer
What is p53
- guardian of the genome
- activates when cell damage occurs
What does p53 do when there is cell damage
- stops cell cycle to allow DNA repair
- apoptosis where repair is not possible
What is often discovered about p53 in cancers
- it has been inactivated
- by mutation or by virus (oncogenic)
Which types of HPV are associated with oropharyngeal cancer
mainly type 16
also hpv 18 occasionally
What is dysplasia
disordered growth in a tissue
What is atypia
- changes in the cell
What is the criteria of diagnosis for dysplasia based on
architechtural changes
cytological abnormalities (cellular atypia)
What do the cytological abnormalities represent
- changes in individual cells reflecting abnormal dna content in the nucleus, failure to mature and keratinise correctly and increased proliferation
What are the different cytological abnormalities that may be seen
- abnormal variation in nuclear size
- abnormal variation in nuclear shape
- abnormal variation in cell size
- abnormal variation in cell shape
- increased/altered nuclear cytoplasmic ratio
- atypical mitosis figures
- increased number and size of nucleoli
- nuclear hyperchromatism
What does architectural changes represent
changes in organisation of maturation and normal layer of the epithelium
What are the different architechtural changes that may be seen
- irregular epithelial stratification
- loss/disturbed polarity of basal cells
- drop-shaped rete ridges
- increased and abnormal mitosies
- premature keratinisation in single cells
- abnormal keratinisation
- keratin pearls within rete ridges
- loss of epithelial cohesion/adhesion
What is the WHO 2005 classification of dysplasia
- basal hyperplasia
- mild dysplasia
- moderate dysplasia
- severe dysplasia
What are the architectural changes in basal hyperplasia
*increased number of basal cells in basal compartment
* regular stratification
* basal compartment is larger
What are the cytological abnormalities in basal hyperplasia
nil
Slide of basal hyperplasia
What are the architectural changes seen in mild dysplasia
- in lower third
- basal cell hyperplasia
What is the cytological changes seen in mild dysplasia
- mild atypia
- pleomorphism
- hyperchromatism
What is pleomorphism
- nuclei and cells are different shapes and sizes
What is hyperchromatism
- increased dna content causes darker staining of nuclei
Mild dysplasia is often reactive, what does this mean
- caused by trauma, infection, smoking etc
- removal of cause will most likely result in regression
Mild dysplasia slide
What are the architectural changes in moderate dysplasia
- extent into middle third
- loss of intercellular adhesion
- drop shaped rete pegs
What are the cytological changes in moderate dysplasia
moderate atypia
pleomorphism
hyperchromatism
Moderate dysplasia slide
What are the architectural changes in severe dysplasia
- extend into upper third
What are the cytological changes in severe dysplasia
- severe atypia
- numerous mitoses- abnormally high
- pleomorphism
- hyperchromatism
- loss of polarity
Severe dysplasia slide
What is carcinoma in situ
theoretic concept
all layers of epithelium involved
malignant but no invasion to underlying connective tissue
not beyond the basement membrane
What are the architectural changes in carcinoma in situ
- full thickness of viable cell layers
What are the cytological changes in carcinoma in situ
- pronounced cytological atypia
- mitotic abnormalities frequent
What does malignancy trigger
What would we expect to see in the underlying tissue in carcinoma in situ
immune response
Carcinoma in situ slide
Summarise the different histopathological features of epithelial dysplasia
- increased/abnormal mitoses
- basal cell hyperplasia
- drop shaped rete pegs
- disturbed polarity of basal cells
- alteration in nuclear/cytoplasm ratio
- nuclear hyperchromatism
- prominent and enlarged nuclei
- irregular epithelial stratification/disturbed maturation
- nuclear and cellular pleomorphism
- abnormal keratinization
- loss of reduction of intercellular adhesion (or cohesion)
What 2 factors does carcinogenesis depend on
- genetic (changes)
- carcinogens (environment)
How do genetics and environment come together to form malignancy
- damage causes mutation at genetic level
- damage results in altered gene expression
- results in inactivation or overexpression and this alters cell function
What are the stages of carcinogenesis
- initiation
- promotion
- transformation
- progression