To synthesize current knowledge on the mechanisms underlying the transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and their clinical implications.
Key Findings:
OPMDs exhibit heterogeneous clinical and biological behavior with variable malignant transformation rates, impacting treatment strategies.
Conventional diagnostic approaches are limited in predicting disease progression, necessitating new methods.
Malignant transformation is driven by cumulative genetic mutations, epigenetic alterations, and chronic inflammation, highlighting the need for early intervention.
Dysregulation of key oncogenic pathways contributes to genomic instability and malignant transformation, suggesting targets for therapy.
The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in promoting tumor progression, indicating the importance of microenvironmental factors in treatment.
Interpretation:
The review emphasizes the need for molecularly informed risk assessment and highlights the potential of emerging biomarkers and multi-omics data integration for early detection and risk prediction in OSCC, which could significantly improve patient outcomes.
Limitations:
Morphology-based diagnostics are inadequate for predicting malignant transformation, limiting clinical decision-making.
The review is based on literature published up to 2025, which may not include the most current findings, potentially affecting the relevance of the conclusions.
Conclusion:
Understanding OPMDs as dynamic biological systems can improve early detection and development of targeted strategies for OSCC, ultimately enhancing patient management and outcomes.
