Potential association between oral mucosal nevus and melanoma: A preliminary clinicopathologic study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess potential association between oral nevi (ON) and nevus-associated melanoma (NAM), in which melanoma cells coexist with nevus cells. METHODS: A total of 74 ON patients and 7 NAM patients were retrospectively reviewed. Comparative and regression analyses of clinical and histological data were performed between two groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients with ON was 36.5 years compared with that of 54.7 years of the patients with NAM (p = .008). Gender ratio was female predominance for ON (1.64:1 ratio) and male predominance for NAM (6:1 ratio). The most common location of ON and NAM was the palate (31.1%) and gingiva (71.4%), respectively. Univariate regression analysis revealed that elderly male patients (≥60 years) with junctional ON located on the gingiva correlate with higher risk of melanoma. Multivariate analysis revealed that junctional type of ON was an independent factor (adjusted OR, 38.32; 95% CI, 3.20-458.64; p = .004) associated significantly with increased risk for melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary study for the first time elucidated the clinicopathologic features of a Chinese series of ON and evaluated the potential association between ON and NAM with a limited sample size. Further large multicenter studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral mucosa: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 12 cases and literature review.

Papillary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (PSCC) of the oral mucosa is a relatively rare but distinct variant of SCC of head and neck. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of a series of patients with oral PSCC and to review the literature on this topic. Retrospective review of patients with clinical and pathologic diagnosis of PSCC (n = 12) between 2000 and 2008 in our institution was conducted. The outcome analysis in a mean follow-up of 56 months (range, 24-131 months) was performed. These patients were 7 women and 5 men, and the mean age at diagnosis was 72.9 years (range, 53-83 years). The cheek and the gingiva were the predominant sites of involvement. At the end of follow-up, 4 patients were found to have local recurrence, and 3 were dead of disease. The estimated 3- and 5-year survival was 91.7% and 76.4% for the whole series, respectively. Histopathologically, the papillary pattern consisted of multiple, thin, delicate filiform, finger-like papillary projections with fibrovascular cores. Besides, the exophytic pattern consisted of the broad-based bulbous to "cauliflower-like" exophytic growth with rounded projections. Immunohistochemically, positivity for CKpan, CKhmw (high molecular weight), and p53, yet negativity for CK8, vimentin, desmin, smooth muscle actin, and S-100 was observed in PSCC. In conclusion, 2 specific histopathologic growth patterns of oral PSCC were identified to separate from conventional SCC. Patients with PSCC have a favorable outcome in relation to exophytic nature and limited invasion of the tumor.

Application of acellular dermal matrix in reconstruction of oral mucosal defects in 36 cases.

PURPOSE: Artificial grafts have been investigated for use in the repair of oral mucosal defects. The aim of this retrospective study was to present the outcomes of the use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) grafts to repair oral mucosal defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 36 patients with oral mucosal defects reconstructed with ADM grafts from 2003 through 2009 were reviewed. All patients were followed-up for at least 6 months to observe the graft repair, wound-healing time, contracture, color, infection, pain, immunologic reaction, texture of the graft, and clinical course. Graft success was defined as the ADM graft being replaced by new mucosa-like tissue and the oral mucosal defect being covered with the new mucosa-like tissue. Any evidence of incomplete graft re-epithelialization or graft sloughing was considered a graft failure (complete or incomplete). RESULTS: Of the 36 cases, 34 grafts (94.4%) were successfully replaced with new mucosa-like tissues and only 2 grafts (5.6%) failed. No complaints such as pain, immunologic reaction, or infection were observed during the follow-up. Mild graft contraction occurred in 7 patients with lip or buccal defects, especially at approximately 3 to 5 weeks after the reconstructive surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The ADM grafts for oral mucosal defects were safe and effective. The present data support the clinical application of ADM grafts in reconstructing oral mucosal defects caused by various oral diseases.

Clinicopathologic features of oral squamous papilloma and papillary squamous cell carcinoma: a study of 197 patients from eastern China.

Oral squamous papilloma and papillary squamous cell carcinoma are 2 clinicopathologically distinctive papillary epithelial tumors. The current study aims to compare the clinical and pathologic features of these oral papillary lesions in a patient population from eastern China. A retrospective review in a series of patients with clinical and pathologic diagnosis of oral squamous papilloma (n = 141) and papillary squamous cell carcinoma (n = 56) was conducted. The average age of oral squamous papilloma was 51.0 years (male-to-female ratio, 1.82), with the palate being the predominant site. The average age of oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma was 63.3 years (male-to-female ratio, 1.67), with the gingiva being the predominant site. Multivariate analysis revealed that the elderly patient with papillary lesion (≥60 years) was associated with 3.09-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.59-6.03) increased carcinoma risk compared with the nonelderly patient. The lesion located on the gingiva was associated with 4.98-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.96-12.63) increased carcinoma risk compared with other oral sites. Collectively, clinicopathologic features of oral squamous papilloma and papillary squamous cell carcinoma in eastern China were elucidated. Elderly patients with oral papillary lesions located on the gingiva correlate with higher carcinoma risk. It highlights the importance of using a histologic examination to confirm the clinical diagnosis for any suspicious papillary lesions.

Comparative Analyses of the Subgingival Microbiome in Chronic Periodontitis Patients with and without Gingival Erosive Oral Lichen Planus Based on 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing.

The aim of the study was to compare the microbiota composition and bacterial diversity of subgingival plaque in chronic periodontitis patients with and without gingival erosive oral lichen planus. The subgingival plaque samples of 20 chronic periodontitis patients with gingival erosive oral lichen planus (CP-OLP group) and 19 chronic periodontitis patients without gingival erosive oral lichen planus (CP group) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. Compared with the CP group, the richness and diversity of subgingival plaque microflora in the CP-OLP group decreased significantly. There were some differences between the two groups in the composition of microflora on the levels of phylum and genus. Distributions of Prevotella and Leptotrichia in the CP-OLP group were significantly lower than those in the CP group. The dominant genera in CP-OLP group were Pseudomonas and Granulicatella. These results indicated that gingival erosive oral lichen planus may influence the structure and proportion of subgingival plaque microflora.

Research trends and characteristics of oral lichen planus: A bibliometric study of the top-100 cited articles.

BACKGROUND: Bibliometric analysis highlights the key topics and research trends which have shaped the understanding and management of a concerned disease. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the most-cited articles on oral lichen planus (OLP), and highlight the analysis of key topics and research trends. METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed and identified in the Scopus database from 1907 to 5 March 2019 for the top-100 most-cited articles on OLP. RESULTS: The number of citations of the 100 selected articles varied from 101 to 570, with a mean of 178.7 citations per article. Malignant potential, immunopathogenesis, and topical drug therapy were the top-3 study topics, and the majority of high-quality articles were the research of the 3 topics. Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine (n = 19) and Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology (n = 14) were 2 journals with the most articles published. Both van der Waal I. and Scully C. were the most frequently contributing authors (n = 9). United States (n = 27) and Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (n = 7) was the most contributing country and institution, respectively. Systematic reviews (n = 2), randomized controlled trial (n = 1), cohort studies (n = 17) were study designs with higher evidence level, but the large majority (n = 80) were considered lower level. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this first citation analysis of the 100 most cited articles on OLP provide a historical perspective on scientific evolution, and suggest further research trends and clinical practice in the field of OLP.

MicroRNA-134 inhibits tumor stem cell migration and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinomas via downregulation of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway by inhibiting LAMC2 expression.

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the mouth. Some studies have found that multiple microRNAs (miRs) participate in OSCC physiological and pathological processes. METHODS: We explored the mechanism of action of miR-134 in OSCC involving the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Different bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the potential genes and their related miRs in OSCC. Tumor stem cells were separated from OSCCs through magnetic cell sorting. Regulatory pattern between miR-134 and LAMC2 in OSCC was evaluated by ectopic expression, knockdown and reporter assay experiments. The expression of miR-134, LAMC2, genes in PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and apoptosis-related genes was detected. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay, cell invasion by scratch test, cell migration by Transwell assay, cell cycle and apoptosis by flow cytometry, and cell growth and migration by xenograft tumor in nude mice. LAMC2 was predicted as the crucial factor related to OSCC using different chip data, and miR-134 was predicted to specifically bind LAMC2 in all five databases. RESULTS: Overexpressed miR-134 or silenced LAMC2 was observed to inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion of OSCC cells, growth of subcutaneous xenograft in nude mice, as well as promote OSCC cell apoptosis. LAMC2, a target gene of miR-134, decreased following miR-134 promotion, while the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was inactivated following LAMC2 knockdown. Furthermore, we also observed that the effect of overexpressed miR-134 was enhanced when LAMC2 was knocked down. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-134-mediated direct downregulation of LAMC2 inhibits migration and invasion of tumor stem cells in OSCC by suppressing the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.