Publications by authors named "Sook Bin Woo"
Objectives: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of the use of topical imiquimod for the management of oral leukoplakia (OL).
Methods: This was a retrospective study. Medical chart reviews were conducted to identify patients with biopsy-proven OL treated with topical 5% imiquimod.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a serious condition following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation that can lead to debilitating symptoms, particularly in the orofacial region, which are not well-documented.
- A study involving 39 patients revealed that orofacial sclerodermatous features such as fibrous bands, restricted mouth opening, and gingival recession are common, often accompanied by skin involvement.
- Treatment approaches included exercises, surgery, and corticosteroid injections, which have shown to help improve function and reduce complications associated with orofacial cGVHD.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on Oral Epithelial Dysplasia (OED), which often shows a lymphocytic/lichenoid immune response (LIR) that complicates diagnosis since it resembles lichenoid mucositis.
- A total of 44 cases were analyzed, all presenting as well-defined hyperkeratotic plaques without the typical features found in lichenoid inflammation, and varying degrees of dysplasia were observed.
- The findings highlight a potential diagnostic challenge due to the presence of lichenoid histological features in OED, suggesting that sharing clinical photographs with pathologists could improve diagnostic accuracy for biopsied lesions.
Thalidomide for management of refractory oral mucosal diseases.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
April 2024
Background: Thalidomide has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used off-label for multiple mucocutaneous disorders, but its application in managing refractory oral mucosal diseases is unclear. This study aimed to review the efficacy and safety of thalidomide in treating various oral mucosal disorders refractory to conventional therapies.
Methods: The medical records of patients who were prescribed thalidomide from 2002 through 2021 for oral mucosal disorders were reviewed.
Hydroxychloroquine for the management of recalcitrant oral lichen planus.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
April 2024
Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) refractory to conventional therapy.
Study Design: In this single-center retrospective study, patients were prescribed HCQ 200 mg twice daily. Pain, reticulation, erythema, and ulceration scores were recorded.
Article Synopsis
- - Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a serious oral condition with a high chance of becoming invasive cancer, and there's currently no effective treatment. Recent findings point to a strong immune presence in PVL, leading researchers to explore immune checkpoint therapy as a potential treatment option.
- - This study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of anti-PD-1 therapy (nivolumab) for treating high-risk PVL in a phase 2 clinical trial with 33 participants, monitored over about 21 months.
- - Results showed that 36% of patients experienced a significant reduction in their condition, while some faced worsening disease; researchers also looked at immune responses and genetic factors as part of the treatment
Head and neck cancers are a complex malignancy comprising multiple anatomical sites, with cancer of the oral cavity ranking among the deadliest and the most disfiguring cancers globally. Oral cancer (OC) constitutes a subset of head and neck cancer cases, presenting primarily as tobacco- and alcohol-associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), with a 5-year survival rate of ~ 65%, partly due to the lack of early detection and effective treatments. OSCC arises from premalignant lesions (PMLs) in the oral cavity through a multi-step series of clinical and histopathological stages, including varying degrees of epithelial dysplasia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII: Development of a core outcome set for oral lichen planus: a consensus study.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
June 2023
Objective: A core outcome set (COS) is the minimum agreed-on data set required to be measured in interventional trials. To date, there is no COS for oral lichen planus (OLP). This study describes the final consensus project that brought together the results of the previous stages of the project to develop the COS for OLP.
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- Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a non-invasive technology that allows real-time visualization of cellular structures for diagnosing oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).
- A study involving 47 patients used a handheld fluorescence single-fibre distal-scanning CLE system to compare its optical diagnoses against traditional tissue biopsy analyses, resulting in a high diagnostic accuracy of 88.9%.
- The fsdCLE technology is shown to be effective and user-friendly for clinicians, accurately identifying all carcinoma cases and providing reliable differentiation between dysplastic and non-dysplastic conditions.
World Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII: Development of a core outcome set for oral lichen planus: the patient perspective.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
June 2023
Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experience of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and investigate what treatment-related outcomes are the most important to them and should be included in a core outcome set (COS) for OLP.
Study Design: A qualitative study involving focus group work with 10 participants was conducted. Interviews with each focus group were held twice: session 1 explored the lived experience of patients with OLP, and session 2 allowed patients to review a summary of the outcome domains used in the OLP literature to date.
World Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII: Development of a core outcome set for oral lichen planus: a systematic review of outcome domains.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
June 2023
Objective: There is a lack of consensus regarding clinician- and patient-reported oral lichen planus (OLP) outcomes. The World Workshop on Oral Medicine Outcomes Initiative for the Direction of Research (WONDER) Project aims to develop a core outcome set (COS) for OLP, which would inform the design of clinical trials and, importantly, facilitate meta-analysis, leading to the establishment of more robust evidence for the management of this condition and hence improved patient care.
Study Design: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.
Unlabelled: Head and neck cancers are a complex malignancy comprising multiple anatomical sites, with cancer of the oral cavity ranking among the deadliest and most disfiguring cancers globally. Oral cancer (OC) constitutes a subset of head and neck cancer cases, presenting primarily as tobacco-and alcohol-associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), with a 5-year survival rate of ∼65%, partly due to the lack of early detection and effective treatments. OSCC arises from premalignant lesions (PMLs) in the oral cavity through a multi-step series of clinical and histopathological stages, including varying degrees of epithelial dysplasia.
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- Biologic agents are new treatments for autoimmune and chronic diseases, but not enough is known about their effects on dental health.
- Researchers looked at 2,080 articles, finding 51 that talked about oral problems caused by these treatments, like swelling, sores, and infections.
- More studies are needed to understand how these drugs can affect teeth and gums better, since the information so far mainly comes from individual case reports.
Article Synopsis
- - Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease in the mouth linked to T cell activity, but the specific stages of T cell differentiation in this condition were unknown until this study.
- - An analysis of gene expression data and immunohistochemical studies from biopsies of OLP patients revealed significant infiltration of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, with a notable presence of KLRG1+ T cells that are highly differentiated.
- - The findings indicate that the presence of these cytotoxic T cells, particularly those marked by KLRG1, points to ongoing antigen exposure and their potential role in damaging the oral mucosa in OLP.
Article Synopsis
- This study analyzed the initial biopsies of patients with proliferative leukoplakia (PL) to understand its histopathologic features and their relationship with the risk of malignant transformation (MT).
- Out of 86 biopsies from 59 patients, common diagnoses included oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) at 53.5% and a significant number lacking clear dysplasia, termed hyperkeratosis/parakeratosis not reactive (HkNR) at 31.4%.
- Notably, almost half of the patients developed carcinoma over time, with a mortality rate of 11.9%, indicating that even cases without typical dysplastic features can still progress to malignancy.
Objectives: Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the 10th most common cancer in the United States (8th in males, 13th in females), with an estimated 54,010 new cases expected in 2021, and is primarily associated with smoked tobacco, heavy alcohol consumption, areca nut use and persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Family history of cancer (FHC) and family history of head and neck cancer (FHHNC) have been reported to play an important role in the development of OSCC. We aimed to investigate the role of FHC, FHHNC and personal history of cancer in first/second degree-relatives as co-risk factors for oral cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Oral leukoplakia is common and may, in some cases, progress to carcinoma. Proliferative leukoplakia is a progressive, often multifocal subtype with a high rate of malignant transformation compared with the more common localized leukoplakia. We hypothesized that the immune microenvironment and gene expression patterns would be distinct for proliferative leukoplakia compared with localized leukoplakia.
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- Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved survival rates for many advanced cancers but can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), affecting any organ system.
- This review focuses on the less-studied oral manifestations of irAEs, detailing mucosal and salivary gland toxicities, and recommends a grading system along with management strategies.
- Oral healthcare providers play a crucial role in recognizing and managing these oral irAEs alongside oncologists, as they can vary from mild symptoms to severe, life-threatening conditions.
The presence of epithelial dysplasia (ED) in oral leukoplakia is the single most important predictor of malignant transformation (MT). The majority of leukoplakias, however, do not show evidence of ED and yet MT of these lesions is well-recognized. These lesions have been referred to as "hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia, no dysplasia," "keratosis of unknown significance" and "hyperkeratosis, not reactive (HkNR).
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