Abstract
Oral lichen planus and lichenoid reactions are autoimmune type inflammatory conditions of the oral mucosa with similar clinical and histological characteristics. Recent data suggest that oral lichenoid reactions (OLR) present a greater percentage of malignant transformation than oral lichen planus (OLP).ObjectiveTo compare the expression of bcl-2 and COX-2 in OLP and OLR.MethodsThe study population consisted of 65 cases; 34 cases diagnosed as OLR and 31 as OLP. A retrospective study was done, and bcl-2 and COX-2 expression was semiquantitatively analysed.ResultsFifty-three per cent (18/34) of the ORL samples tested positive for COX-2, whereas in the OLP group, 81% of the samples (25/31) immunostained positive for COX-2. The Fisher’s exact test for the expression of COX-2 revealed that there are significant differences between the two groups, P = 0.035. With respect to the expression of the bcl-2 protein, 76% (26/34) of the samples were positive in OLR, while 97% (30/31) were positive in the group with OLP. The Fisher’s exact test for the expression of bcl-2 revealed that there are significant statistical differences between the two groups, P = 0.028.ConclusionsThe expression of bcl-2 and COX-2 was more commonly expressed in OLP when compared with OLR.
Highlights
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common mucocutaneous entity
Recent data suggest that oral lichenoid reactions (OLR) present a greater percentage of malignant transformation than OLP and, the association between cancer and OLP has been documented in scientific reports, there is no association between squamous cell carcinoma and cutaneous lichen planus [4,5,6]
The distribution of OLP and OLR groups according to age group was 59.53 SD ± 11.74 for OLP and 56.97 SD ± 15.06 for the OLR group
Summary
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common mucocutaneous entity. It has a variety of clinical presentations: papular–reticular lesions, linear plaques, erosions, ulcers, and less frequently, hyperchromic or hypochromic macules, or a combination. The prevalence of this condition is 1–4% of the world population with no apparent racial predisposition and a predilection for females [1, 2]. Oral lichenoid reactions (OLR) is a term used to describe clinical and histopathological lesions similar to OLP but with an identifiable etiologic factor. Recent data suggest that OLR present a greater percentage of malignant transformation than OLP and, the association between cancer and OLP has been documented in scientific reports, there is no association between squamous cell carcinoma and cutaneous lichen planus [4,5,6]
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