Hi All, I found out yesterday that I have lichen planus right side inside of my cheek....it has been sore for a few weeks, and then I noticed some white marks, my oral surgeon has given me a cream to put on it at bedtime and I go back in 4 weeks.....anybody else experience this? Thanks Carol
p.s. I had never even heard of it and still wish I hadn't! SMILE!

Hey Carol,
Never had it.
go to: www.ask.com
type in: lichen planus/ click search
Tons of info. It's not dangerous or contagious, just itchy.
Good Luck, PeteyB

Or -- go to the bottom of this screen to the OCF homepage link, and when you get there, do a search on lichen planus and get lots of results on this site.

Cathy

Thanks, I had already looked it up, just wondered if anyone here had experienced it...Thanks again!

Thanks Cathy, after all the work that goes into building the rich OC related content of this site, it never ceases to amaze me that people will not search our 2000+ first. By the way beause of our non profit status, our partner for our new in site search engine, Google gave us a very sophisticated search engine that even looks inside PDF's for FREE. These are really good people who understand that it isn't always about making money. We were able to save the annual fee we were paying to a search engine software company every year since this new relationship developed. Google Rules!!

Hi Cathy and Brian, for the record, I had looked it up on our own OC Website before posting, just wanted to hear from someone. When I checked on it, I had like 19 hits from prior postings, I guess sometimes I am half afraid of what I will read....Thanks for everything! Carol

The good news is the LP is never been conclusively proven to be a precursor to oral cancer, though some less informed web sites with old information still show it as a risk factor...(and some of them bigger names than us) which is not the current thinking. I just wanted to be sure you were using our search engine at http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/search.htm and not the one here on the message boards which only searches postings.

One thing about the information on the OCF site is that it is vetted and rechecked every six months by docs on our advisory board. And I challenge any other site to have an oral cancer group better respected than this science advisory board when it comes to this particular disease. To most, OC is only one of many things that they are talking about, and even if they have MD's reviewing their sites info, unless you are talking to an OC authority and specialist.... well we have all had our experiences with docs that are not up to speed.

Thank you Brian, I truly appreciate the OCF site! I do not know how you manage to keep things running. I plan to start collecting donations next week, I hope others will do the same and perhaps sponsor Jerry on the Walk, which is so important! I wish I could do more, let me know if you think of something! Thank you again! Carol

Hi Carol,

I had oral lichen planus and eventually developed squamous cell carcinoma. As Brian has noted, there is no conclusive evidence that links the two.

There are different types of lichen planus, mine was the erosive type which is the most severe and presents with red uclerations of the epithelial layer in the mouth. It was often very sore, painful and uncomfortable.

Because I live in rural Vermont, it was hard to find anyone who knew much about treatment. (There's no cure but there are techniques for alleviating the discomfort.) Eventually, through the web, and with the participation of my periodontist, I found an oral pathologist in New York City who treats many oral lichen planus cases. He was helpful in reducing my discomfort and kept a careful eye on my mouth. I saw him every 6-8 months.

Under his supervision, I underwent three separate biopsies to test tissues he thought might be undergoing malignant transformation. And, while I developed oral cancer, it was caught relatively early, which I attribute to his watchfulness.

As part of my treatment, I underwent radiation treatment. It seems to have 'fried' the oral lichen planus and it hasn't been an issue since. Nonetheless, I certainly wouldn't recommend radiation treatment as a way of eliminating oral lichen planus!

I think I've read that some treatment centers will burn off areas of lichen planus with a laser. You might want to ask a specialist about that option.

Hope this is of some help. - Sheldon

Thank You Sheldon, I have the watchful eye of my oral surgeon on it......trust me, after all I have been through, I will not let anything slip through....he gave me a steroid creame and it has helped, I see my oral surgeon in two weeks.....also, the magic mouthwash is helping....Thanks again, Carol