Here are some interesting (but potentially dangerous) observations from my friend Mark Lingen who is a research oral pathologist from the university of Chicago. Fact: only about 25% of a leukoplakia converts to malignancy. Of course the path to that is a midway point of cellular abnormality called. dysplasia. There are low grade, mid grade, and high grade dysplasias, with the most dangerous being the last. But considering ALL dysplasias, only 25% convert to malignancy. While these little pathology world pearls are interesting, all cellular changes need to be monitored and biopsied. My personal preference is if possible they should be removed as pre-cancers and not watched an monitored. This does not mean that a person who one removed (as the previous posters have stated) will not have continued cellular tissue changes, and they do not necessarily stop recurring. This is particularly true if an antagonist continues, such as smoking, resulting in smokers dysplasia.