Actinic cheilitis: a review of 152 cases.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether any clinical or histopathologic variables are associated with the severity of epithelial change in lesions of actinic cheilitis.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 152 acceptable cases of actinic cheilitis were identified from 66,067 cases accessioned from February 1989 to June 1998. For each case, the clinical information supplied by the submitting practitioner at the time of the biopsy and 8 histopathologic variables were evaluated.

RESULTS

The following 5 histopathologic variables were positively correlated with an increased degree of epithelial change: acanthosis, basophilic change within the connective tissue, the presence of inflammation within the connective tissue, perivascular inflammation, and thickness of the keratin layer. None of the clinical variables was associated with an increased degree of epithelial change.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of any of the aforementioned histopathologic changes should prompt a close evaluation of the lesion for the presence of either epithelial dysplasia or carcinoma.