Oral Lichen Planus and Systemical Oncological Comorbidities: Case-control Multicenter Observational Clinical Study

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic mucocutaneous inflammatory disease of unknown etiology.

In its oral variant, oral lichen planus (OLP) has a reported prevalence ranging from 0.5% to 2.2% in the general population. The disease typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 60. Although the pathogenetic mechanism and the triggering factor remain unknown, an immune-mediated pathogenesis and the role of factors such as stress, anxiety, diabetes, other autoimmune diseases, hypertension, intestinal pathologies, chronic liver diseases, hypercholesterolemia, infections have been hypothesized , contact with dental materials, tumors and genetic predisposition to cancer.

Oral lichen planus is one of the potentially malignant disorders, showing a malignant transformation rate of 1.4%.

A preliminary analysis conducted in our research center has shown a correlation between OLP and systemic tumors, both solid and haematological, involving areas not involved in lesions attributable to OLP.

According to these data, the objective of the study is to evaluate whether there is an association between OLP and peripheral tumors, both solid and haematological.

The primary objective will be to investigate the possible existence of a statistically significant association between OLP and the development of systemic oncological pathologies.

Secondary objective will be to investigate the existence of an association between the various forms of OLP and specific oncological pathologies and to evaluate whether the presence of other systemic pathologies and lifestyle factors (diabetes, hypertension, chronic liver disease, smoking, alcohol, infection by HPV, HCV, etc ...) could influence such association (primary outcome).

The objectives will be pursued through the analysis of data collected from the medical records of patients belonging to the General Dentistry and Orthodontic Outpatient Clinics at the "Agostino Gemelli" Teaching Hospital and in the Oral Pathology Outpatient Clinics of the other centers involved.