DNA PLOIDY AND NUCLEAR TEXTURE FEATURES OF THERETICULAR FORM OF ORAL LICHEN PLANUS

Abstract

BACKGROUND Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa with lowrisk of malignant transformation. At present there are no reliable tools to predict whichOLP will progress to cancer. Abnormal DNA content has been reported to be a valuablediagnostic marker of potential malignant transformation of oral white patches.Aims To analyze image cytometric DNA ploidy of OLP and assess chromatin changes reflectedin nuclear features, when OLP is compared to normal buccal mucosa.Materials and Twenty-eight patients with reticular form of OLP and 50 healthy control subjects weremethods included in the study. No malignant transformation of OLP was observed during a followupperiod of 25 years. Scrapings of buccal mucosa were suspended in transport medium.Monolayer filter cell preparations were Feulgen-Thionin stained. Image cytometric analysiswas performed by Cyto-Savant system. RESULTS All OLP in our study were diploid. Statistically significant differences were found betweennormal buccal mucosa and OLP in several nuclear texture features. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that diploidy predominates in OLP, confirming its benign nature.Minor chromatin changes of OLP were detected by IC, probably of reactive type