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Abstract
Oral lichen planus (OLP) carries a very small probability of becoming malignant. Our
Finnish series comprised eight patients suffering from OLP and concurrent or subsequent
oral squamous cell carcinoma over a 10-year period. The mean interval between the
histologically suggested initial diagnosis of OLP and carcinoma was 3.4 years. An
oral ulcer as a clinical manifestation of malignant change appeared in seven of these
eight patients; five of the eight died of carcinoma on average 13 months (range 7-20)
after the final squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis. These eight patients were compared
to eight control OLP patients without malignant transformation matched as to follow-up
time, age, gender, sites of the lesions, etc. We could discover no histological features
leading to malignant development. However, the clinically unilateral atrophic/erosive
type of OLP more often preceded the malignant change, compared to the situation for
control patients, in whom the most prevalent type was the bilateral reticular OLP.
However, the probability seems to be very small.