title: Laser evaporation versus laser excision of oral leukoplakia: A retrospective study with long-term follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study makes a comparison between two surgical approaches for the treatment of oral leukoplakia (OL) in terms of recurrence in a well-defined cohort of patients with a long-term follow-up period.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort consisted of 77 OL patients divided into 2 groups. Group 1: 47 patients treated with laser evaporation using a Nd:YAG laser. Group 2: 30 patients treated with a CO2 laser for excision. Clinical and histological examinations were performed for the diagnosis of OL before treatment. We included OLs with or without dysplasia. The mean follow-up period was 60 ± 32.49 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 77 patients, 22 (28.5%) showed recurrence during the follow-up period. No significant difference was found between the two treatments (χ(2) = 2.6; p = 0.2). However, CO2 laser excision resulted in better results than the Nd:YAG laser evaporation, considering the non-homogeneous OLs (χ(2) = 3.9; p = 0.04) and OLs with mild dysplasia (χ(2) = 4.6; p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study makes a comparison between our results and articles from the literature, and suggests when each of the two surgical approaches is most appropriate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Section of Oral Science, University of Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: giacomo.delcorso@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Del Corso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Section of Oral Science, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide Bartolomeo
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Gissi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Section of Maxillo-facial Surgery at Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Achille
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarsitano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Section of Maxillo-facial Surgery at Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Costabile
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Section of Maxillo-facial Surgery at Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Section of Oral Science, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montebugnoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Section of Anatomic Pathology at Bellaria Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Foschini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D054020:Lasers, Gas / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D015996:Survival Rate; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: CO(2) laser; Laser evaporation; Laser excision; Laser surgery; Nd:YAG laser; Oral leukoplakia