leukoplakia
Sign in to saveAlso known as leucoplakia, idiopathic white patch, leukoplasia
Oral leukoplakia is a potentially malignant disorder affecting the oral mucosa. It is defined as "essentially an oral mucosal white/gray lesion that cannot be considered as any other definable lesion." Oral leukoplakia is a gray patch or plaque that develops in the oral cavity and is strongly associated with smoking. Leukoplakia is a firmly attached white patch on a mucous membrane which is associated with increased risk of cancer. The edges of the lesion are typically abrupt and the lesion changes with time. Advanced forms may develop red patches. There are generally no other symptoms. It usu
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Leukoplakia
- Medical condition (new).synonyms
- Leucoplakia, leukokeratosis, idiopathic leukoplakia, leukoplasia, idiopathic keratosis, idiopathic white/gray patch
- Medical condition (new).image
- Leukoplakia02-04-06.jpg
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Leukoplakia on the inside of the cheek
- Medical condition (new).field
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery, Oral medicine, Dentistry
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Firmly attached white/gray patch on a mucous membrane, changes with time, Tongue with a white or light gray color
- Medical condition (new).complications
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Medical condition (new).onset
- After 30 years old
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Unknown
- Medical condition (new).risks
- Smoking, chewing tobacco, excessive alcohol, betel nuts
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Made after other possible causes ruled out, tissue biopsy
- Medical condition (new).differential
- Yeast infection, lichen planus, keratosis due to repeated minor trauma
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Close follow up, stop smoking, limit alcohol, surgical removal
- Medical condition (new).frequency
- Up to 8% of men over 70
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
8,330 papers- Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: Systematic review and comprehensive meta-analysis.Oral diseases · 2025
- Oral Leukoplakia and Risk of Progression to Oral Cancer: A Population-Based Cohort Study.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2020
- Oral leukoplakia-to treat or not to treat.Oral diseases · 2016
- Unraveling the Keratin Expression in Oral Leukoplakia: A Scoping Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
- Oral leukoplakia: a proposal for uniform reporting.Oral oncology · 2002
via PubMed
Clinical Trials
70 registered- COMPLETEDSaliva and Plasma Exosomes for Oral Leukoplakia Malignant Transformation Diagnosis and Oral Cancer Prognosis MonitoringBeijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University · NCT06469892
- NOT_YET_RECRUITINGEvaluation of Artificial Intelligence in Diagnosis and Risk Assessment of Oral Potentially Malignant DisordersAin Shams University · NCT07318922
- NAUNKNOWNOral Potentially Malignant Disorders: Comparison Between Surgical Treatment and Wait and See ApproachUniversity of Milan · NCT04858100
- NAUNKNOWNIdentification of Oral Lesions Through an Autofluorescence SystemFederico II University · NCT05942794
- NAUNKNOWNTobacco Cessation Intervention Study for Oral DiseasesAssociation for the Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Implants · NCT02737176
- NARECRUITINGEfficacy of Topical Coenzyme Q10 and Curcumin for Oral Leukoplakia TreatmentAlexandria University · NCT07331935
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Leukoplakia02-04-06.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- ICPC 2 ID
- D83
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C3186
- Commons category
- Leukoplakia
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~38 min read
Article
40 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Mouth
- Homogeneous leukoplakia
- Non-homogeneous leukoplakia
- Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia
- Erythroleukoplakia
- Sublingual keratosis
- Candidal leukoplakia
- Oral hairy leukoplakia
- Syphilitic leukoplakia
- Esophagus
- Bladder
- Anal canal
- Signs and symptoms
- Causes
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Sanguinaria
- Ultraviolet radiation
- Micro-organisms
- Epithelial atrophy
- Trauma
- Pathophysiology
- Tumor suppressor genes
- DNA damage
- Diagnosis
- Definition
- Biopsy
- Histologic appearance
- Differential diagnosis
- Management
- Predisposing factors and review
- Surgery
- Medications
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- Etymology
- History
- References
- External links
Oral leukoplakia is a potentially malignant disorder affecting the oral mucosa. It is defined as "essentially an oral mucosal white/gray lesion that cannot be considered as any other definable lesion." Oral leukoplakia is a gray patch or plaque that develops in the oral cavity and is strongly associated with smoking. Leukoplakia is a firmly attached white patch on a mucous membrane which is associated with increased risk of cancer. The edges of the lesion are typically abrupt and the lesion changes with time. Advanced forms may develop red patches. There are generally no other symptoms. It usually occurs within the mouth, although sometimes mucosa in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, or genitals may be affected.
The cause of leukoplakia is unknown. Risk factors for formation inside the mouth include smoking, chewing tobacco, excessive alcohol, and use of betel nuts. One specific type is common in HIV/AIDS. It is a precancerous lesion, a tissue alteration in which cancer is more likely to develop. The chance of cancer formation depends on the type, with between 3–15% of localized leukoplakia and 70–100% of proliferative leukoplakia developing into squamous cell carcinoma.