Premalignant Lesions in the Mouth

Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: a systematic review of observational studies

“…There is little doubt that subjects with OL do have a higher risk for oral cancer. Few decades ago, it was speculated by Cawson that those with OL may have fifty to one hundred times greater risk of developing cancer compared with normal individuals .…”

The Permeability of Oral Mucosa

“…This raises the question as to whether the etiology of mucosal disease may be related to permeability, particularly when that etiology is associated with habits such as the oral use of tobacco and alcohol, as is the case for oral cancer. Cawson 92 has pointed out that, in pipe smokers, a hyperkeratotic lesion can often be found on the hard palate, but that carcinoma tends to develop in the floor of the mouth, where saliva and tobacco carcinogens may pool. Lining regions such as the floor of the mouth and the lateral border of the tongue have been designated as "high-risk" areas for squamous cell carcinoma, 9294 and also turn out to be regions of high permeability 32 (Table 1).…”

Effective management of smoking in an oral dysplasia clinic in London

“…Oral leukoplakia is the most common precancerous lesion of the oral cavity. Patients with such lesions have been estimated to have a likelihood of developing carcinoma which is 50 to 100 times grater than that of the general population (Cawson, 1975). On biopsy some of these may exhibit epithelial dysplasia – one of the prognostic factors in risk assessment of oral precancers with reference to their probable malignant transformation (Speight et al , 1996; van der Waal et al , 1997; Warnakulasuriya, 2001).…”