HYPERKERATOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH ACTINIC CHEILITIS: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

Actinic cheilitis (AC) is an inflammatory lower lip condition with high potential for malignant transformation, associated to sunlight ultraviolet-rays chronic exposure. It is reported a case of a male patient, 51 years old, feoderm, smoker and drinker, and chronic solar exposure, with a habit of nibbling the lips and a complaint of a lesion diagnosed by his dental clinician. Extraoral examination of the left side of lower lip it was observed a white plaque surrounded by erythematous areas associated. An incisional biopsy was performed and the histopathological sections revealed fragments of mucosa coated with squamous epithelium with hyperkeratosis without dysplasia, mild chronic inflammatory infiltrate, and a band of amorphous, acellular, basophilic change known as solar elastosis in lamina propria confirming clinical diagnosis of AC. This case illustrates the importance of AC-patient follow-up, and emphasizes the patient’s encouragement of changing depletory habits to not develop malignant lesion in AC. Actinic cheilitis (AC) is an inflammatory lower lip condition with high potential for malignant transformation, associated to sunlight ultraviolet-rays chronic exposure. It is reported a case of a male patient, 51 years old, feoderm, smoker and drinker, and chronic solar exposure, with a habit of nibbling the lips and a complaint of a lesion diagnosed by his dental clinician. Extraoral examination of the left side of lower lip it was observed a white plaque surrounded by erythematous areas associated. An incisional biopsy was performed and the histopathological sections revealed fragments of mucosa coated with squamous epithelium with hyperkeratosis without dysplasia, mild chronic inflammatory infiltrate, and a band of amorphous, acellular, basophilic change known as solar elastosis in lamina propria confirming clinical diagnosis of AC. This case illustrates the importance of AC-patient follow-up, and emphasizes the patient’s encouragement of changing depletory habits to not develop malignant lesion in AC.