Benign and precancerous lesions in the oral cavity are most often found in smokers and people who drink alcohol. They are also caused by lesions in the oral cavity and the HPV virus. While benign changes do not pose a threat to he alth, changes and precancerous conditions may become malignant.

Benign and precancerous lesions in the oral cavityare two different concepts.Benign tumors(benign) are those that grow slowly, not they invade the surrounding tissues, do not metastasize, and their structure resembles he althy tissues. In turn,pre-neoplastic changesare chronic diseases of the mucosa in which cancer may develop. They should not be confused with precancerous conditions. It is a broader term that covers systemic diseases with a significantly higher risk of cancer development. Both benign and precancerous lesions can appear as tumors, proliferative lesions, or ulcerations.

Benign lesions are mainly squamous cell papillomas. The group of benign neoplasms also includes fibromas, hemangiomas and adenomas originating most often from the small salivary glands. Their treatment is not complicated and consists in removing the lesion during traditional surgery, with the use of low temperature (cryotherapy) or laser.

Pre-cancerous lesions in the oral cavity are primarily leukoplakia, erythroplakia and lichen planus. The precancerous lesions also include keratinizing papillomas, flowering papillomatosis and chronic exfoliative inflammation of the mucous glands of the lips, as well as exposure to the cheilitis. In turn, the pre-cancerous condition is called Plummer-Vinson syndrome.

Benign lesions in the oral cavity - squamous cell papilloma

The cause ofsquamous cell papillomamost often is injuries or viral infection (most often HPV). Papilloma that has arisen as a result of an injury is most often located on the tip or edge of the tongue, on the cheek mucosa in the occlusal line or on the lip.Viral papillomasmost often appear on the palate or the underside of the tongue.

In both cases, a single bloom can be observed, in the form of small, pink-white cauliflower-shaped or mushroom-shaped lumps, not exceeding 1 cm in diameter.Papillomas grow slowly and do not cause pain.

Benign lesions in the oral cavity - hemangiomas

Benign oral tumorsare also hemangiomas that originate from the blood vessel system. Cavernous hemangioma, which causes swelling of the tongue and lips, and vascular granuloma, which is usually located on the red lips, gums and tongue, most often appear on the oral mucosa. A characteristic feature of hemangiomas is its spherical shape.

Benign lesions in the oral cavity - fibroids

Fibromas are hard, pink bumps with a smooth surface, most often located on the cheek mucosa and on the border of the hard and soft palate, less often on the tongue or lips. The cause of their appearance is usually chronic irritation of these parts of the mouth.

Pre-cancerous lesions in the oral cavity - leukoplakia

The most commonly diagnosedprecancerous diseasein the oral cavity isleukoplakia , i.e. white keratosis. The disease manifests itself as a painless, rough, white discoloration on the oral mucosa. Only with the development of the disease, gray-white spots appear within it, which thicken with time. These changes can most often be seen on the cheeks, lips, tongue and palate.

Pre-neoplastic changes in the oral cavity - Queyrata red keratosis

Red Queyrata, or erythroplakia, manifests itself as a clearly delimited, velvety, red spot on the oral mucosa.

Pre-cancerous changes in the oral cavity - lichen planus

Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease of the mucous membranes. Most often it appears in the form of symmetrical white stripes located at the level of the tooth contact line on the cheek mucosa. Lichen planus rarely becomes malignant.

Pre-cancerous conditions in the oral cavity - Plummer-Vinson syndrome

Plummer-Vinson syndrome , or sideropenic dysphagia, is a precancerous condition of the mouth, throat, and esophagus, which becomes cancer in 50 percent of patients. Plummer-Vinson syndrome consists of a group of symptoms that include difficulty swallowing (due to contracture of the esophagus), ulceration at the corner of the mouth, burning tongue, anemia.

Category:

Oncology