SEVERE INFLAMMATION IN ORAL LICHEN PLANUS MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CARCINOGENIC POTENCY

Abstract

The erosive form of oral lichen planus (OLP) shows apparently severe inflammation which is further confirmed from histological studies and from the overexpression of its inflammatory markers viz., NFkB, IL-6, TNF-a, COX-2 and iNOS. These characteristics in networked interaction with reactive oxygen or nitrogen species, inactivation of apoptosis or of death receptor pathways, as observed in cancerous condition, obviate OLP as a disease with tumorigenic potency.