Excellent question! But first we must have in mind that the term "leukoplakia" is refered to a CLINICAL description of any White lesion wich can't be detatched from the oral mucosa, and can't be classified as other lesion. In dermatology, at least in Brazil they don't use this therm , affirming that we can't make a diagnosis in something that's is NOT anything you can say it is, if I make myself understood...

So, for make a dignosis by any marker, it have to take in account that leukoplakias are displasic lesions, with a chance of turning into a malignant lesion (10% in average).

I don't know if there'sany cythological marker for leukoplakia, but if there's any, it has to be reliable also for eritroplakia, carcinoma in situ, and all malignant or pre malignant lesions.... My clinical approach to ANY lesion wich is suspect, is the old Incisional Biopsis, and then deppending the HP results, follow up or recommend for total excision of the lesion, by CO2 laser, Retinoic Acid, Cryotherapy or eletric scalpel removal.

sir you are absolutely correct.

as biopsy is a trumatic procedure, 80% were not ready for it. Cytology will be easy procedure to collect samples and to check the dysplastic cells.

There are some IHC markers to detect the dysplasia and cancer progressions.

p53, p63, mcm2, akt, pcna, sfn, mib, ywhaz, egfr, s100 a7, cyclin d1, ck-18, laminin,

fascin-

Dear Sumsum: Thanks for your anwer, you're absolutely right about Cytology in detecting altered cells in leucoplastisc lesions, but the cytological markers for clyinical use are expensive, and maybe could delay an earlier diagnosis, instead of Biopsy, wich will show the morphologic alterations, that will lead us more quickly to it. And plase if there's any article showing that 80% of the patients are not ready to make a biopsy, send it to me, I'll be very grateful. Best regards, greetings from Rio de Janeiro!

There are diagnostic lamps (Visilite for example) to detect an early dysplasia in such cases. Has to be clinically evaluated by an experienced physician though, as a submucosal inflammation reacts the same way.

Any body know about S100 A7......(article)...marker for dysplasia.??

I think podoplanin could be a potential marker for progression of oral leukoplakia. There are lot of paper talk about it. 

Thank you Zhang...instead of single marker we required a panel of markers. Do you know any other?