Resumo

LANEL, VIVIANA  e  JUNIOR, CELSO AUGUSTO LEMOS. Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: study of mainly clinical and demographic aspects. RPG, Rev. pós-grad. [online]. 2012, vol.19, n.2, pp. 76-80. ISSN 0104-5695.

The proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a rare entity, with a high malignancy potential, classified as a subtype of oral leukoplakia (OL). It presents a high tendency to recurrence after any type of treatment. Initially, inconspicuous white lesions can be found on initial stages and progress to multifocal and non-homogenous areas over time. There are controversies in the literature regarding the diagnostic criteria for PVL. Some authors make the diagnosis after a long-term follow-up, observing initial stages until the development of verrucous areas or carcinomas. Others believe that waiting for later stages postpone the diagnosis and treatment institution. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and demographic characteristics of patients diagnosed with PVL and to make a brief review of this subject. A retrospective study was performed and we analyzed patient's records of the Department of Stomatology at Faculty of Dentistry of Universidade de São Paulo (FOUSP). Nine patients were found between 2007 and 2011, and there were higher incidence among women with no smoking or drinking habits with an average age of 73 years old. PLV lesions progressed over a 5.4-year period. Clinically, all of them showed aggressive and multifocal lesions, varying from homogenous to non homogenous aspect with verrucous surface and erythematous areas. It was suggested that PVL diagnostic criteria should include the presence of multifocal white lesions with aggressive behavior, long-term evolution, recurrences after any type of treatment, excluding the obligation of verrucous aspect on the time of diagnosis.

Palavras-chave : Leukoplakia; oral.; Carcinoma; squamous cell; Smoking.