Exam 2 Oral Premalignant Cancers Flashcards
Oral cancer is a nonspecific term that denotes:
All malignancies in the oral cavity
What types of malignancies can be found in the oral cavity?
- Epithelial malignancies
- Mesenchymal malignancies
- Hematopoetic malignancies
Examples of epithelial malignancies
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Salivary gland malignancies
- Odontogenic carcinomas
Examples of mesenchymal malignancies
- Soft tissue sarcomas
- Osteosarcoma
- Chondrosarcoma
Examples of hematopoetic malignancies
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
90% of all oral cancers are _____
Squamous cell carcinomas
What is a leukoplakia?
A white, plaque-like lesion which cannot be wiped off and cannot be characterized clinically or pathologically as any other disease
Does leukoplakia imply a specific histologic diagnosis?
No - clinical term only
Leukoplakia is a diagnosis of ____
Exclusion (must rule out other clinically distinct entities such as lichen planus, smokeless tobacco keratosis, frictional hyper keratosis, leukoedema, etc)
5-25% of leukoplakias are diagnosed as ____ after microscopic exam
Epithelial dysplasia (premalignant)
4% of leukoplakias are diagnosed as ____ after microscopic exam
Squamous cell carcinoma
True leukoplakias are considered to be?
Potentially premalignant lesions
What is the incidence of leukoplakias?
1.5-4.3% worldwide
____ is the most common oral premalignant lesion
Leukoplakia
Leukoplakias affects what gender?
Males > females
What ages are affected by leukoplakias?
> 40 years (60 years average)
Risk factors for leukoplakias
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Sanguinaria use
- UV radiation
- Microorganisms (HPV, fungal candidiasis)
____ may be a risk factor for leukoplakias
Chronic inflammation
Alcohol has ____ effects with tobacco
Synergistic
70% of leukoplakias are found on:
- Lip vermillion
- Buccal mucosa
- Gingiva
What locations account for 90% of leukoplakias that show dysplasia? (high risk sites for dysplasia and SCC)
- Lateral-ventral tongue
- Floor of mouth
- Soft palate
____ and ____ are high risk leukoplakia sites for betel quid users
Buccal mucosa and commissures
What is the clinical appearance of leukoplakia?
- White in color
- Flat to slightly raised plaques
- Often with well defined borders
What are the surface variations for leukoplakias?
- Thin vs thick
- Smooth vs rough
- Homogenous vs heterogenous
- Granular, verruciform
- Well vs ill-defined
What are two special clinical variants of leukoplakias?
- Erythroleukoplakia, speckled leukoplakia
- Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL)
What is erythroleukoplakia?
Leukoplakia admixed with erythroplakia (mixed red-white lesions)
Erythroleukoplakias usually show:
High grade dysplastic changes, SCC
What is Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL)?
- Rare high-risk form of leukoplakia
- Multifocal leukoplakia with all grades of dysplastic changes
What location is Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL) found?
Any mucosal site, especially gingiva
Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL) has a ____ predilection and has no association with ____
Female; smoking
Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL) typically develops ____
Dysplastic changes, SCC
True or false: Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL) rarely regresses and recurs with removal
True (poor prognosis)
What is the clinical and microscopic progression of leukoplakias?
Normal mucosa –> thin, smooth leukoplakia –> thick, fissured leukoplakia –> granular, verruciform leukoplakia –> Erythroleukoplakia (speckled leukoplakia)
True or false: not all leukoplakia lesions will progress
True
UV Radiation-Associated Leukoplakia
Actinic Cheilitis (leukoplakia blends into vermillion border)
Leukoplakia histopathology includes:
- Hyperkeratosis
- Epithelial dysplasia
- Carcinoma in situ (CIS)
- Early squamous cell carcinoma
Hyperkeratosis makes up about ____ of leukoplakia cases
80%
Types of hyperkeratosis
- Hyperparakeratosis
- Hyperorthokeratosis
- Epithelial hyperplasia/hyperkeratosis
What is hyperparakeratosis?
Nuclei retained in keratin layer
What is hyperorthokeratosis?
- No nuclei in keratin layer
- Prominent granular cell layer
Epithelial dysplasia is ____
Premalignant
Carcinoma in situ and early squamous cell carcinoma are ____
Malignant
What are the cellular features of dysplasia?
- Enlarged nuclei and cells; increased nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio
- Hyperchromatic (dark-staining) nuclei
- Prominent nucleoli
- Cellular and nuclear pleomorphism
- Dyskeratosis (premature keratinization)
- Increased mitotic activity; abnormal mitotic figures
What are the tissue architectural features of dysplasia?
- Bulbous, tear-drop shaped rete ridges
- Loss of polarity (disorganized maturation)
Grading the dysplasia of leukoplakias is based on:
Thirds of epithelial thickness involved
What are the grades of leukoplakia dysplasia?
- Mild dysplasia
- Moderate dysplasia
- Severe dysplasia
- Carcinoma in situ
What is a mild dysplasia?
Dysplasia involving lower 1/3 of epithelium (primarily basal and parabasal layers)
What is a moderate dysplasia?
Dysplasia involving lower 2/3 of epithelium (basal cell layer to mid portion)
What is a severe dysplasia?
Dysplasia extending to upper 1/3 of epithelium (basal cell layer to above mid-portion)
What is carcinoma in situ (CIS)?
Dysplasia involving entire thickness of epithelium with no evidence of penetration of basement membrane
What is needed for leukoplakia diagnosis?
- Clinical presentation AND
- Tissue biopsy
What other techniques/adjuncts can be used for leukoplakia diagnosis?
- Vital dyes
- Chemiluminescence (Vizilite)
- Autofluorescence (VELscope)
____ and ____ remain gold standard for assessment of oral leukoplakia
Careful examination and conventional biopsy
To treat leukoplakia, patient should discontinue”
Contributing factors
Leukoplakia treatment is guided by:
Histologic diagnosis, anatomic location, risk factors
How is hyperkeratosis or mild dysplasia treated (leukoplakia)?
- Clinical follow-up every 6 months (re-biopsy as necessary) OR
- Complete removal (surgical, laser, etc.)
How is moderate dysplasia or worse treated (leukoplakia)?
Complete removal (surgical, laser, etc)
Leukoplakia treatment requires careful _____
Long-term follow up
Recurrence rate of leukoplakia
10-35%
Recurrence rate is ____ for granular, verruciform leukoplakia
83%
True or false: there is possible development of additional leukoplakias
True
Risk for dysplasia:
- Thin leukoplakia ____
- Thick leukoplakia ____
- Granular, verruciform leukoplakia ____
- Erythroleukoplakia ____
Seldom (80% hyperkeratosis); 1-7%; 4-15%; 18-47%