Esophageal Lichen Planus Is Associated With a Significant Increase in Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma

No lesion? No problem: case of oesophageal lichen planus in a patient without any cutaneous lesions

“…The study did not find any clear risk factors that would suggest increased likelihood for malignant transformation 1. However, they found that patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma received endoscopy less frequently than those who did not, though it was not statistically significant (49 months vs 21.5 months, p=0.35) 1. There are no clear guidelines on post-treatment surveillance of patients with ELP as there are so few patients with the disease.…”

“…There are no clear guidelines on post-treatment surveillance of patients with ELP as there are so few patients with the disease. However, half of the patients in the cohort studied developed cancer within the first year, which would suggest repeat endoscopy 6–12 months from diagnosis may be reasonable 1…”

“…The treatment of ELP is gauged by symptomatic improvement. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that ELP may be associated with the development of 0esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1. A recent retrospective study by Ravi e t a l examined 132 cases of ELP at the same tertiary care centre between 1992 and 2017 and found that the rate of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher in patients with ELP 1.…”

“…A recent retrospective study by Ravi e t a l examined 132 cases of ELP at the same tertiary care centre between 1992 and 2017 and found that the rate of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher in patients with ELP 1. The study did not find any clear risk factors that would suggest increased likelihood for malignant transformation 1. However, they found that patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma received endoscopy less frequently than those who did not, though it was not statistically significant (49 months vs 21.5 months, p=0.35) 1.…”

“…Lichen planus is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease that typically affects the scalp, skin, nails, and mucous membranes 1 2. The epidemiology of lichen planus is not well studied, but based on limited data, disease prevalence ranges between less than 1% of the population for cutaneous lichen planus and up to 3% of the population for mucosal lichen planus with a predilection for middle-aged and elderly females 2 3.…”