Image cytometric evaluation of nuclear texture features and DNA content of the reticular form of oral lichen planus

OBJECTIVE: To analyze image cytometric chromatin changes reflected in nuclear texture features and DNA ploidy of oral lichen planus in relation to the normal buccal mucosa and buccal mucosa expressing malignancy-associated changes in cancer patients. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-eight patients with the reticular form of oral lichen planus, with a follow-up period of 25 years, 50 healthy controls and 50 lung cancer patients were included in the study. Scrapings of buccal mucosa were suspended in transport medium. Monolayer filter preparations were Feulgen-thionin stained. Image cytometric analysis was performed by Cyto-Savant. RESULTS: All oral lichen planus specimens in our study were diploid. In univariate analysis, differences between the normal buccal mucosa and oral lichen planus were found in several nuclear texture features, which gave an 80% correct classification rate in multivariate analysis. In the second part of the study, the classifier that recognizes malignancy-associated changes on the buccal mucosa of patients with lung cancer correctly recognized > 80% of oral lichen planus samples as normal buccal mucosa. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that chromatin changes in oral lichen planus exist compared to normal cells; however, the chromatin structure of the reticular form of oral lichen planus does not express malignancy-associated changes and is more similar to normal squamous cells.