erythroplakia

Last reviewed 06/2021

Leukoplakia is a white lesion of the oral mucosa that cannot be scraped off and cannot be attributed to another definable lesion

Erythroplakia is a red patch on the oral mucosa that cannot be accounted for by any specific disease entity

• erythroplakia exists on a continuum both in appearance and behavior with leukoplakia and mixed erythroleukoplakia (a lesion that is both white and red)
  
  
• a number of studies have reported that oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are frequently preceded by or associated with leukoplakia or erythroplakia (2)
  • also has been shown that leukoplakia and erythroplakia are frequently seen adjacent to some OSCC
  • oral erythroplakia is the rarer form of oral pre-malignant lesion and has been identified as the one with the highest malignant transformation rates (3)

Reference:

• Gale N, Pilch BZ, Sidransky D, et al. Epithelial precursor lesions. Barnes L, Eveson JW, Reichart P, Sidranksy D, eds. World Health Organization Classification of Tumours. Pathology and Genetics of Head and Neck Tumors. Lyon, France: IARC Press; 2005. 177-179.
• Villa A, Villa C, Abati S. Oral cancer and oral erythroplakia: an update and implication for clinicians. Aust Dent J. 2011;56:253-6
• Qin GZ, Park JY, Chen SY, Lazarus P. A high prevalence of p53 mutations in pre-malignant oral erythroplakia. Int J Cancer. 1999;80:345-8