title: Malignant potential of oral lichen planus; a follow-up study of 326 patients.
abstract: 326 patients with oral lichen planus were followed for periods ranging from 6 months to 10 years (mean 4.8 years), in an attempt to clarify the malignant potential of this disease which is still controversial. Malignant transformation occurred in 4 patients (1.3%) in a mean time of 6.5 years after the onset of lichen planus. Before cancer development, 3 of these patients manifested the erosive form of oral lichen planus, while the others, a combination of the papular/atrophic form. Malignant transformation in our patients could not be associated with any evident factors, such as family history, local irritation, alcohol consumption, nutritional disturbances or other systemic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine/Pathology, Greece.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Markopoulos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antoniades
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papanayotou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trigonidis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology*