Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: Case report and a comprehensive review of literature

Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a rare form of oral leukoplakia, which was first described in 1985 by Hansen et al . Since then, various published case series have presented PVL as a disease with aggressive biological behavior due to its high probability of recurrence and a high rate of malignant transformation, usually higher than 70%. PVL is a long-term progressive condition, and tends to become multifocal with a progressive deterioration of the lesions, making it more and more difficult to control. According to reported literature tobacco use does not seem to have a significant influence on the appearance or progression of PVL as these lesions may occur both in smokers and nonsmokers. At present, the etiology of PVL remains unclear as well as its management and diagnosis, which is still retrospective, late and poorly defined, lacking consensus criteria. Here we present a case of PVL and intend to discuss the key features related to etiology, diagnosis, management and prognosis of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia.