Recurrence of Oral Leukoplakia after CO(2) Laser Resection: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The treatment of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), including oral leukoplakia (OL), is controversial. Medical interventions currently used to prevent malignant transformation in OL include surgical treatment, photodynamic therapy, and chemotherapy. The main advantages of laser surgery are the selective removal of the lesion, minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue, and excellent postoperative wound healing. However, no treatment has been shown to prevent recurrence or significantly reduce malignant development in long-term follow-up studies, so further research is needed to identify possible risk factors. 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.