ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a distinct and aggressive type of oral leukoplakia which affects elderly women without risk behavior and presents high rates of malignant transformation. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and the distribution of cell proliferation markers, aiming to elucidate the distinct biological behavior of the PVL. METHODS: Clinical and microscopical features of 12 patients with PVL were reviewed. Immunohistochemical analysis for p53, Ki-67, Mcm-2 and Mcm-5 were performed and the data were correlated. RESULTS: All patients were women, above 50 years of age, 91.7% were non-smoker and 100% were non-habitual drinker. Alveolar ridge (66.6%), tongue (50%) and buccal mucosa (41.6%) were the most affected sites. Four patients developed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The immunohistochemical findings showed higher positivity for p53, Ki-67, Mcm-2 and Mcm-5 in SCCs. However, some patients with mild or moderate dysplasia, specially the patients who developed SCC, presented high expression of Mcm-2 and Mcm-5. CONCLUSIONS: High immunoexpression of Mcm-2 and Mcm-5 in mild and moderate dysplasia could be helpful to predict the malignant transformation of PVL.