Malignant transformation of oral submucous fibrosis in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a one of the well-recognized oral potentially malignant disorders. In this study, we investigated the malignant transformation of OSF in a Taiwanese population.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was analyzed from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A comparison cohort that was randomly frequency-matched with the OSF cohort according to age, sex, and index year. Oral leukoplakia (OL) was further stratified to evaluate for the possible synergistic effects for OSF-associated malignant transformation.

Results

In this cohort, 71 (9.13%) of 778 cases of OSF were observed to transform into oral cancer. The malignant transformation rate was 29.26-fold in the OSF cohort than in the comparison cohort after adjustment (95% confidence intervals 20.55-41.67). To further stratify with oral leukoplakia (OL), OSF with OL (52.46; 95% confidence intervals 20.99-42.42) had higher risk of malignant transformation rate than OSF alone (29.84; 95% confidence intervals 20.99-42.42). The Kaplan-Meier plot revealed the rate free of malignant transformation was significant over the 13 years follow-up period (log-rank test, p<0.001). The mean duration of malignant transformation was 5.1, 2.7, and 2.2 years for non-OSF, OSF alone, and OSF with OL, respectively.

Conclusion

OSF patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of malignant transformation than those without OSF. OL could enhance malignant transformation in patients with OSF.

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