Potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer Flashcards
What is the WHO definition of Potentially malignant lesions?
- Altered tissue in which cancer is more likely to form
What is the WHO definition of potentially malignant condition?
- Generalised state with increased cancer risk
What are some potentially malignant conditions (systemic conditions)?
- Lichen planus (erosive or ulcerative on gingiva and tongue increased)
- Oral submucous fibrosis
- Iron deficiency
- Tertiary syphilis
Why does a person with iron deficiency at higher risk of developing cancer?
- Iron deficiency leaves oral epithelium thinner
- Oral epithelium vital part of proetcting against pathogens and carcinogens
- When barrier is decreased - increased risk of infections of carcinogens
What are some potentially malignant lesions?
- Leukoplakia
- Erythroplakia
- Chornic hyperplastic candidiasis
What mucosa do most carcinoma in the UK arise from?
- Clinically normal mucosa
Where in the world does most cancer arise from potentially malignant lesions?
- High incidence arease
- e.g. India
How many more time is leukoplakia likely to progress to cancer than clinically normal mucosa?
- 50 to 100 times
What is the most common type of white patch that can be scraped off?
- Acute pseudomembranous candidosis
- aka thrush
What is leukoplakia?
- White patch which cannot be attributed to any other diagnosis
What is erythoplakia?
- Red patch that cannot be attributed to any other diagnosis
What are the predictors of malignancy in leukoplakia?
- Age (incidence increases with age)
- Females more likely
- Idiopathic (no risk factors ass with oral cancer more likely to become malignant)
- Floor or mouth , tongue and gingivae have high risk
- buccal mucosa has low risk
- Non homogenous e.g. verrucous, ulcerated leuko-erythroplakia have higher risk than homogenous
What is it called when there is a white patch on the floor of mouth?
- Sublingual keratosis
- Extremely high risk of developing into oral cancer
What is the gold standard for assessing malignant change in a lesion? What are we assessing?
- Histopathology
- Dysplasia
- Atrophy (thinner)
- Candida infection (presence of candida hyphae - chronic hyperplastic candidiasis or aka candidal leukoplakia )
There is a new way being researched to assess malignant change by histopathology, what is it termed and what are we assessing?
- Biological markers
- DNA content in leukoplakia showing hallmarks for future maligancy
What gene whether it has been mutated or other can be a strong indicator that the lesion is on its way to becoming malignant?
- p53
What is a risk factor of oropharyngeal cancer? What prognosis does this give?
- HPV
- Presence of HPV gives better prognosis
What is dysplasia?
- Disordered maturation (growth) in a tissue
What is atypia?
- Changes in cells
- Different to dysplasia
Describe why this picture is showing cellular atypia?
- Picture showing oral epithelium
- Cells are more spaced out , not see well arranged in neat rows , looking a bit different to ones above it
What are the two categories of criteria for diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia from histopatholgy?
- Assess Architectural changes first (abnormal maturation and stratification)
- Then assess Cytological changes (cellular atypia)
What is the WHO 2005 grading of epithelial dysplasia?
- Done via microscope !
- Hyperplasia
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Carcinoma-in-situ
What is basal hyperplasia in terms of histopathology?
- Increased basal cell numbers
- Architecture has regular stratification and basal compartment is larger
- No cellular atypia
*arrow shows basal compartment being larger