Dna Ploidy in Oral Premalignant Lesions – A Systematic Review

Resumen

Background: Early detection and prompt treatments are essential for reducing the morbidity and mortality of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), as the disease is frequently detected at a late stage. Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), primarily leukoplakia, precede some OSCC cases, and the presence of dysplasia is commonly regarded as a marker for the malignant potential of OPMD. The necessity to increase early identification of oral malignancies is strongly supported by the fact that delayed detection is the main cause of high rates of morbidity and mortality. A biopsy is still the gold standard for diagnosing oral cancer. Still, because of its invasiveness, high expense, and requirement for specialized medical personnel and equipment, it is not appropriate for screening. According to recent research, DNA ploidy analysis may be used to forecast how different OPMDs will behave. It may be utilized as an additional tool to help pathologists reach an agreement when assessing the degree of epithelial dysplasia if a correlation between DNA ploidy and the histological grade of dysplasia can be shown. DNA aneuploidy, or abnormal nuclear DNA content, is a sign of numerical chromosomal alterations and frequently marks a crucial stage in the development of cancer. Although its reputation as a progression marker has recently been called into question, DNA aneuploidy can be detected using a rather sensitive and robust method. DNA ploidy status can be determined using image cytometry (DNA-ICM) or flow cytometry (FCM-DNA). Research indicates that detecting DNA aneuploidy in squamous epithelium can result in an OSCC diagnosis and identification up to two years sooner. Because OSCC is a non-invasive technique that patients tolerate well, it may be diagnosed early, increasing the likelihood of recovery and lowering the cost to the healthcare system. There is considerable debate regarding the procedure's efficacy despite DNA aneuploidy being a recognized biomarker for cancer. Limited evidence was found after considering several trials with pooled sensitivities and specificities ranging from 55 to 100%.

Material and Methods: Major databases such as Medline were explored detailed literature search in resulting in a systematic review pertaining to link between DNA ploidy in oral premalignant lesions.

Results: Five original research scientific articles dated between 2020 – 2024 pertaining to mentioned topic were highlighted.

Conclusions: The prevalence and risk of DNA aneuploidy in OPMD patients with important risk factors, such as age greater than 60, lateral/ventral tongue locations, non-homogeneous lesions, and high-grade dysplasia, were assessed collectively in this extensive cross-sectional investigation. DNA aneuploidy was more common and risky in OPMD patients who presented with these risk factors than in controls. Given their increased risk of malignant transformation, high-risk individuals with DNA aneuploidy should receive earlier treatment measures and tighter clinical monitoring. These characteristics could help the doctor set up suitable treatments and follow-up plans. Detailed information regarding DNA ploidy in oral premalignant lesions is discussed in this systematic review.