25. Precancerous disorders in the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus

From greek.doctor
Revision as of 21:58, 26 November 2023 by Nikolas (talk | contribs) (Created page with "{{#lst:Precancerous states of the GI tract|leukoplakia and erythroplakia}}")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Oral leukoplakia and erythroplakia

Leukoplakia is an unbrushable white lesion, while the erythoplakias are fiery red. They are associated with increased risk of cancer and have normally no symptoms. The risk factors for leuko- and erythroplakias are smoking, chewing tobacco and excessive alcohol intake.

The risks of progression into invasive squamous cell carcinoma is 3-25% with leukoplakia, and more than 50% with erythroplakia. It’s important to distinguish them from benign oral lesions like oral candidiasis.

These precancerous lesions should be surgically removed, or alternatively, regularly surveyed. Avoiding risk factors is important to prevent recurrence or progression.