Characterisation of Clinicopathological and Molecular Features of Leukoplakia not Associated with Tobacco- A Scoping Review
Published: April 1, 2022 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2022/52294.16219
Kalpa Pandya, Sivakumar Pradeep, GVV Giri, Malathi Narasimhan
1. Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
2. Junior Consultant, Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
3. Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
4. Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Correspondence
Dr. Kalpa Pandya,
Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: kalpa.pandya@gmail.com
Tobacco has been implicated as the strongest risk factor for oral malignancies and common potentially malignant disorders. Recent trend shows an increase in the prevalence of these lesions in non tobacco population. Studies suggest that clinicopathological features of leukoplakia differ in tobacco users and non users. Also, leukoplakia without known risk factors is at a higher risk of malignant transformation. Preliminary studies on carcinogenesis of non tobacco-associated head and neck cancers have identified a difference in the key genes involved in the pathogenesis of cancers associated with and without tobacco. While the genetic characterisation of non tobacco oral cancers is gaining focus in the literature, there is a paucity of studies on non tobacco leukoplakia. An understanding of the non tobacco leukoplakia, possibly a distinct subgroup, may provide an insight into the inception of non tobacco oral cancers, leading to avenues for prevention, early diagnosis and precision medicine-led treatment approaches. Through this narrative review, authors revisit and summarise the existing literature on leukoplakia among non tobacco population.
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