Erythroplakia
| Erythroplakia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Erythroplasia: 734 |
| Erythroleukoplakia ("speckled leukoplakia"), left commissure. Biopsy showed mild epithelial dysplasia and candida infection. Antifungal medication may turn this type of lesion into a homogenous leukoplakia (i.e. the red areas would disappear) | |
| Specialty | Oral medicine |
Erythroplakia is a clinical term to describe any erythematous (red) area on a mucous membrane, that cannot be attributed to any other pathology.: 805
The term erythroplasia was coined by Louis Queyrat to describe a precancerous red lesion of the penis. This gave rise to the term erythoplasia of Queyrat. Depending upon the context, this term may refer specifically to carcinoma in situ of the glans penis or vulva appearing as a red patch, or may be used as a synonym of erythroplasia on other mucous membrane or transitional sites.
It mainly affects the glans penis (the head of the penis), although uncommonly it may present on the mucous membranes of the larynx, and rarely, the mouth, or the anus.
Erythroplakia is analogous to the term leukoplakia which describes white patches. Together, these are the 2 traditionally accepted types of premalignant lesion in the mouth, When a lesion contains both red and white areas, the term "speckled leukoplakia" or "eyrthroleukoplakia" is used.
Although oral erythroplakia is much less common than leukoplakia, erythroplakia carries a significantly higher risk of containing dysplasia or carcinoma in situ, and of eventually transforming into invasive squamous cell carcinoma (a type of oral cancer).