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Retrospective analysis of 351 patients with vocal fold leukoplakia: impact of smoking, lesion size and histopathological grade on treatment outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2025

Xueqian Yang Open the ORCID record for Xueqian Yang [Opens in a new window] ,
Liang Peng ,
Ruihua Fang ,
Lin Chen ,
Zhangwei Hu ,
Dan Wang ,
Renqiang Ma ,
Jie Deng ,
Xiaolin Zhu Open the ORCID record for Xiaolin Zhu [Opens in a new window]  and
Zhangfeng Wang
...Show all authors
Xueqian Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Liang Peng
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Ruihua Fang
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Lin Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Zhangwei Hu
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Dan Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Renqiang Ma
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Jie Deng
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Xiaolin Zhu
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Zhangfeng Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Weiping Wen*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Wenbin Lei*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Wei Sun*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
*
Corresponding author: Weiping Wen;Email: wenwp@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wenbin Lei;Email: leiwb@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wei Sun; Email: sunwei26@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Corresponding author: Weiping Wen;Email: wenwp@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wenbin Lei;Email: leiwb@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wei Sun; Email: sunwei26@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Corresponding author: Weiping Wen;Email: wenwp@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wenbin Lei;Email: leiwb@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wei Sun; Email: sunwei26@mail.sysu.edu.cn
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Abstract

Objective

To explore the treatment options and prognostic factors of vocal fold leukoplakia.

Methods

The study examined conservative and surgical treatment approaches, and analysed prognostic factors influencing vocal fold leukoplakia outcomes.

Results

In the conservative treatment group, lesion size (p = 0.035) and smoking (p < 0.001) were identified as independent factors influencing treatment outcomes. In the surgical treatment group, lesion size (p = 0.018) was identified as an independent factor affecting recurrence. There was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of conservative versus surgical treatment for patients with hyperplasia (p = 0.223), mild dysplasia (p = 0.634) and moderate dysplasia (p = 0.758).

Conclusion

Smoking and lesion size are key factors influencing the outcome of conservative treatment, while lesion size is a significant factor affecting recurrence in surgically treated patients. More importantly, conservative treatment should be prioritised for patients with moderate dysplasia and milder vocal fold leukoplakia.

Keywords

larynxendoscopytherapeuticsprognosis

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 139 , Issue 11 , November 2025 , pp. 1095 - 1101
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Wei Sun takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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