Leukoplakia - Highlights
Leukoplakia is “a white plaque of questionable risk having excluded (other) known diseases or disorders that carry no increased risk for cancer”.
📝Here are some "Highlights" or a high level overview of Leukoplakia
Leukoplakia is predominantly induced by tobacco - smoked and smokeless.
Leukoplakia without a known etiology is called idiopathic leukoplakia.
Leukoplakia is the most common potentially malignant disorder.
Homogenous leukoplakia --> white colour & regular (surface) texture.
Non-homogenous leukoplakia --> white colour & irregular (surface) texture/ red-white colour & regular (surface) texture/ red-white colour & irregular (surface) texture.
Speckled leukoplakia is to be dealt with caution as it usually shows dysplasia or even carcinoma histopathologically.
📖Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia(PVL) is a rare high risk form of leukoplakia. It starts off as a homogenous lesion, that over time, spreads to become diffuse and multi-focal (involves many sites).
📖References and further reading (PVL)
💡 Did you know how dysplasia works?
In fact, we delve a lot more deeper into this topic in our cheatsheet/note -> Leukoplakia. You could read in detail about Leukoplakia with our Revision Ninja - Oral Pathology and Medicine Course bundle!