THE POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ORAL LICHEN-PLANUS AND ORAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA - A CLINICAL-EVALUATION ON 14 CASES AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Between 1986 and 1996, 263 patients, 156 females and 107 males, affect ed by oral lichen planus (OLP), were followed at the Division of Oral Medicine and Pathology, University of Naples 'Federico II', Italy, and at the Institute of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery, University o f Bari, Italy. During this follow-up, the possible association of OLP with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), together with the possible as sociation of OLP, oral SCC and chronic HCV-hepatitis, were investigate d. 14 cases (5.32%) were known to have developed oral SCC: 10 (3.8%) i n an area of pre-existing OLP, 3 (1.14%) in other sites, in 1 case the diagnosis of OLP and SCC was synchronous (0.38%). 3 patients were pos itive for anti-HCV antibody. Many carcinomas were in areas of reticula r/plaque OLP. 3 patients had multiple simultaneous sites of oral invol vement (21.42%); 5 patients developed oral SCC in different sites duri ng the follow-up period (35.71%). These data, together with a clear hi stological evidence of progression to carcinoma within OLP lesions, su ggest the probability of some cases of at least OLP having an intrinsi c property predisposing to neoplastic transformation, confirming previ ous studies. For these reasons, the authors think that it is necessary to follow-up the patients regularly at least annually and possibly fo r life for the early diagnosis of a possible neoplastic degeneration. These consideration are particularly important in the case of atrophic or erosive OLP, and plaque OLP, especially when involving the dorsum of tongue. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.