Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 3:23:291-297.
doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.c_2028.

History of Oral Mucosal Lesions in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Arvi Keinänen, Johanna Snäll, Jaana Hagström, Johanna Uittamo

History of Oral Mucosal Lesions in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Arvi Keinänen et al. Oral Health Prev Dent. .

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the occurrence of previous mucosal dysplasia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to charaterise patient profile, types of previous oral mucosal lesions, and care-seeking in relation to earlier mucosal findings.

Materials and methods: Retrospective data of OSCC patients with a primary tumour were collected. The primary outcome variable was any history of oral mucosal findings; the secondary outcome variable was a history of previous oral mucosal dysplasia. The primary predictor variable was the mode of seeking treatment. Patient and tumour-related variables were compared between patients with and without anamnestic mucosal changes or findings.

Results: A total of 528 patients were included in the study. Of these patients, 169 (32.0%) had a history of an oral mucosal lesion. Oral mucosal dysplasia was detected in 34 patients (6.4%) before the OSCC diagnosis. Patients who had a history of heavy alcohol use were less likely to have a history of any mucosal lesions or dysplasia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.350, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.215-0.571, p 0.001 and aOR 0.235, 95% CI 0.070-0.795, p = 0.020). Tumours were detected more often in conjunction with routine appointments in patients with a history of any mucosal lesions (aOR 2.671, 95% CI 1.704-4.187, p 0.001) and in those with previously detected dysplasia (aOR 6.195, 95% CI 3.004-12.774, p 0.001).

Conclusions: The results emphasise the importance of careful examination and close follow-up of findings in the oral mucosa.

Keywords: dysplasia; oral cancer; oral mucosal finding; oral squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Previous oral mucosal findings of 528 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. Of 169 patients with anamnestic oral mucosal changes or findings, 66 had a lichenoid-type reaction, including patients with a history of oral lichen planus (n = 48, 9.1%).
Fig 2
Fig 2
Previous oral mucosal findings of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients with dysplasia (n = 34).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alnuaimi AD, Wiesenfeld D, O’Brien-Simpson NM, Reynolds EC, McCullough MJ. Oral Candida colonization in oral cancer patients and its relationship with traditional risk factors of oral cancer: A matched case-control study. Oral Oncol. 2015;51(2):139–145. - PubMed
    1. Amin MB, Greene FL, Edge SB, Compton CC, Gershenwald JE, Brookland RK, et al. The Eighth Edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual: Continuing to build a bridge from a population‐based to a more “personalized” approach to cancer staging. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017;67(2):93–99. - PubMed
    1. Bánóczy J. Follow-up studies in oral leukoplakia. J Maxillofac Surg. 1977;5:69–75. - PubMed
    1. <styled-content>Bascones-Ilundain C, Gonzalez-Moles MA, Esparza-G N, Gil-Montoya JA, Bascones-Mart A. Importance of apoptotic mechanisms in inflammatory infiltrate of oral lichen planus lesions. Anticancer Res 2006;26(1A):357-362.</styled-content> - PubMed
    1. Bektas-Kayhan K, Karagoz G, Kesimli MC, Karadeniz AN, Meral R, Altun M, et al. Carcinoma of the tongue: a case-control study on etiologic factors and dental trauma. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev. 2014;15(5):2225–2229. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources