Effect of the combination of diode laser ablation with photodynamic therapy for oral leukoplakia with epithelial dysplasia

Combining diode laser ablation with PDT may be one of the optimal choices for treating OLK with epithelial dysplasia. Forty-one patients diagnosed with OLK with epithelial dysplasia were recruited in the study. All patients received diode laser ablation with PDT. The clinical treatment effect was recorded 1 month after the therapy, and every 3 months thereafter. All the patients responded to the combined therapy. The rates of complete and partial response were 61.0% (25/41) and 39.0% (16/41), respectively. Lesion size ≤ 200 mm2 was associated with complete response (p < 0.05). During the 12-month follow-up, recurrence was observed in 13 (31.0%) patients. The cumulative malignant transformation rate was 7.3% (3/41). Diode laser ablation combined with PDT is an effective and high-efficiency treatment modality for OLK with epithelial dysplasia, particularly for lesion size ≤ 200 mm2. However, recurrence and malignant transformation still exist after therapy.