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Malignant transformation and natural history of oral leukoplakia in 57,518 industrial workers of gujarat, india
Author(s) -
Silverman Sol,
Bhargava K.,
Mani N. J.,
Smith Lowell W.,
Malaowalla A. M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197610)38:4<1790::aid-cncr2820380456>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - oral leukoplakia , medicine , leukoplakia , incidence (geometry) , malignant transformation , oral cancers , oral mucosa , natural history , buccal mucosa , dermatology , cancer , dentistry , oral cavity , pathology , physics , optics
In Gujarat, India, 6718 industrial workers, over 35 years of age, with oral leukoplakia (confirmed clinically and microscopically), were studied. After 2 years, 4762 (71%) of the individuals were re‐examined. The buccal mucosa was the most common site of occurrence; 98.3% of these individuals had oral habits, with smoking alone or smoking in combination with “pan” or “supari” chewing accounting for 74.9% of the habit forms. Six individuals (0.13%) with oral leukoplakia developed oral carcinomas within 2 years. This incidence of malignant transformation was equivalent to 63/100,000 per year, which far exceeds that of new oral cancers expected even in high‐risk populations. While 57.3% the leukoplakic lesions remained unchanged during a 2‐year interval, 31.6% disappeared and 11% had an altered appearance. This study confirmed the precancerous nature of oral leukoplakia.