RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause. Prevalence of oral involvement in patients with LE is uncertain but may vary from 9 to 45% in patients with systemic disease and from 3 to 20% in patients with chronic cutaneous involvement. METHODS: Incidence of oral lesions of LE and their clinical aspects were investigated. Their histopathologic features were analyzed, and the status of epithelial maturation was assessed through the expression patterns of cytokeratins. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (from 188 examined) presented oral lesions of LE. Most of them were females (19) with systemic disease (11). Clinical aspects of these lesions varied, and lips and buccal mucosa were most affected. Histologically, lesions revealed lichenoid mucositis with perivascular infiltrate and thickening of basement. Cytokeratins profile showed hyperproliferative epithelium, with expression of CK5/6, and CK14 on all epithelial layers, CK16 on all suprabasal layers and CK10 on prickle cell layers only. CONCLUSIONS: Oral lesions of LE show a variety of aspects, and their microscopic features are of a lichenoid mucositis with deep inflammatory infiltrate. Cytokeratins expression patterns are of hyperproliferative epithelium, and this phenomenon must be analyzed in relation to the inflammatory cytokines for a better understanding of the mechanisms of the disease.
Assuntos
Erupções Liquenoides/etiologia , Erupções Liquenoides/patologia , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/complicações , Estomatite/etiologia , Estomatite/patologia , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Queratinas/metabolismo , Erupções Liquenoides/metabolismo , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estomatite/metabolismoRESUMO
A small proportion of cases diagnosed as oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid lesions (OLL) can undergo malignant transformation. Some authors, however, stand that only dysplastic lichenoid lesions, not true OLP, have the potential to progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The histologic diagnosis is a subjective resource and is not always accurate in differentiating OLP from OLL. Thus, this study attempted to evaluate the malignant potential of lesions diagnosed as OLP and as OLL without dysplasia. The Streptavidin-biotin method of immunohistochemistry was used for the staining with p53 and Ki67 in 22 cases of OLP and 27 cases diagnosed as OLL. Ki67 immunoexpression was not statistically different between OLP and OLL (p = 0.353), but, p53 staining showed a significant contrast (p = 0.036). A higher average of staining was detected in the group of OLP. The study showed that apparently a diagnosis of OLP or OLL makes no difference for the patient regarding malignant transformation, although in OLP p53 showed a higher index of expression, probably related to the intensity of inflammatory infiltrate.