Recurrence of Oral Leukoplakia after CO2 Laser Resection: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

Abstract

AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of CO(2) laser treatment in oral leukoplakia and to analyse the recurrence rate of oral leukoplakia lesions at 18-month follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective clinical study regarding CO(2) laser treatment for oral leukoplakia was conducted, in which 39 patients with a total of 53 oral leukoplakias were included. Follow-up was performed at 18 months post-surgery and the following variables were studied: sex, age, associated risk factors, clinical classification, size, location and presence of epithelial dysplasia, recurrence, and rate of malignant transformation after resection. RESULTS: In the analysis of the final results 18 months after baseline, a treatment success rate of 43.75% was observed. Oral leukoplakia recurred in 54.17% of cases, and 2.08% of leukoplakias progressed to cancer. Among all the studied variables (age, tobacco use, size, location, clinical type or histology), no significant differences were found with regard to recurrence. CONCLUSION: The use of CO(2) laser therapy to treat leukoplakia lesions is sufficient to remove such lesions. However, parameters that can assess recurrence need to be sought.