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Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

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Leukoplakia

Alternative Names

Hairy leukoplakia; Smoker's keratosis

Symptoms

The primary symptom of leukoplakia is a skin lesion with the following characteristics:

• Location
  • Usually on the tongue
  • May be on the inside of the cheeks
  • In females, occasionally on the genitals
• Color
  • Usually white or gray
  • May be red (called erythroplakia)
• Texture
  • Thick
  • Slightly raised
  • Hardened surface

The symptoms of hairy leukoplakia are painless, fuzzy, white patches on the tongue.

Exams and Tests

The typical white patch of leukoplakia develops slowly, over weeks to months. The lesion may eventually become rough in texture, and may become sensitive to touch, heat, spicy foods, or other irritation.

A biopsy of the lesion confirms the diagnosis. An examination of the biopsy specimen may find changes that indicate oral cancer.

Review Date: 8/16/2004
Reviewed By: Stephen Grund, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Hematology & Oncology and Director of the George Bray Cancer Center at New Britain General Hospital, New Britain, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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